Tough Love
by Jabberwocky1
Summary: After Max recklessly endangers her life – again – Alec steps in as her self-appointed guardian, becoming commanding, authoritative and unpredictable… M/A FINAL CHAPTER UP!
1. The Catalyst

**Tough Love**

**Pairing:** M/A…duh?!

**Rating:** M – for language.

**Summary:** After Max recklessly endangers her life – again – Alec steps in as her self-appointed guardian, becoming commanding, authoritative and unpredictable…

Set after Freak Nation. All transgenics now reside within T.C.'s walls, and Logan has assumed his rightful place in the DA universe – on the throne of non-existence.

Let me just put it out there for everyone so that you all know where I'm coming from. I don't like Logan. In fact, as the years pass the more I detest the man. As far as I am concerned after that disgusting display of…eww… at the end of Freak Nation, Logan ceases to exist. I don't care what you imagine happened to the man. Personally I like to imagine he eloped to Guatemala with a circus midget named Bernard to have a love child! So if you're looking for anything Logan related then move along. You won't find his name mentioned again.

Disclaimer: I would like to disclaim that I own nothing, although I am willing to sell my body to Jensen for anything he is willing to trade me for it...

* * *

**The Catalyst**

"Come on Max, stop ignoring me!" Alec yelled loudly through the door, giving it another loud thump with his fist in frustration. He ran a hand through his dishevelled hair as he looked down the hallway and contemplated giving up. The thought _was_ tempting. If he walked away now he wouldn't have to listen to Max chew his ass out about whatever it was he'd done wrong this week - like invading her privacy.

Alec gave one more longing look down the hallway before turning back to her door with resolve. He wasn't blind. He could see that she hadn't been looking after herself properly - and it was getting worse - which was concerning. He just wanted to check in on her, he wanted to make sure she was alright. No, that wasn't quite the truth. It wasn't a want – it was a need. He _needed_ to make sure she was alright.

"You better be decent Max," he muttered loudly as he nimbly picked her lock, "cause I'm coming in, ready or not." Not that he would mind in the least if he managed to stumble in on a semi-naked Max, Alec mused silently to himself; he'd actually enjoy it much more than perhaps he _should_. But he knew his enjoyment would only last the split second it took for her to stick her foot clean up his ass, and Max being the over achiever that she was meant that there was always the risk that she might not be able to remove it once she'd had her fun. It wasn't worth that risk, he decided.

As Max's door swung open, Alec immediately noticed how eerily quiet her small apartment was. He slipped silently inside, his senses on high alert, and as he cautiously stepped further into her small living room a cold chill raced up his spine. Something wasn't right.

He quickly slipped further into the shadows, every muscle taut and ready for action as he scanned the apartment. His senses were telling him that there was no hostile force within, which he was thankful for, because it allowed him to relax his defences enough to move from room to room more quickly in search of her.

But the same voice that alerted him to the absence of intruders was screaming at him that there was something _very_ wrong with Max; and although he knew that many people would ridicule placing such faith in one of _his _feelings_ - _Max being at the top of that list - experience had taught Alec it was rarely wrong… it just _knew_ things.

He checked Max's small bedroom without any success, but it was obvious she had been there until very recently, the clothes she had been wearing not four hours ago lying in a pile on the floor and the sheets of her bed in disarray. As he continued to quickly move through her small apartment Alec's gaze instinctively swept towards the bathroom, its door slightly ajar. As he tried to push it open he encountered resistance. He carefully gave it a firm shove with his shoulder and craned his head around the door. He could now clearly see what was obstructing the door. _Max_. She was lying unconscious on the floor in a singlet and a pair of boxer shorts.

Alec swore he felt his heart stop in his chest… and it _hurt_. Then he was throwing himself across the floor on his knees and gathering Max to him while he began feeling for a pulse – he just desperately hoped that he wasn't too late.

But where was it? He was having trouble finding her pulse, his hand shaking and his heart pounding in his chest so hard that he couldn't concentrate long enough to locate it. All Alec could focus on was the deathly pale colour of her complexion as he looked down on her, and the clamminess of her skin beneath his fingertips as he stroked her face.

"You can't do this to me, Max. Please don't do this to me…", he begged, "…don't you _dare _do this to me."

Alec suddenly realised just how fallible Max was. Until this very moment in time he had never _really_ considered the possibility of her not being around. She was the one constant in his life - always had been, ever since the first moment he had met her.

Sure, he knew they were both soldiers, and as soldiers they risked their lives everyday and accepted those risks; and he knew that the odds that either one of them would die in battle were substantial. All of this had always been in the back of his mind, but until today he had never truly believed that Max could die – she was just too alive. But as he looked down at the limp body in his arms and concentrated on locating a pulse, he felt real fear grip his heart.

Suddenly Alec felt a beat beneath his finger tips, and then another one. "Thank _God_!" he sighed in relief, releasing the breath he was not aware he had been holding as he hung his head, letting his forehead rest lightly on her breastbone, concentrating on the feeling of it rising and falling as he tried to calm his panic.

But his reprieve was momentary. As he sat there with her in his lap, silently thanking whichever deity was responsible for her continually beating heart, Alec realised that the beat beneath his fingertips was much too rapid.

"Max? Max, can you hear me?" He leaned over her, studying her face for a response as he gently shook her shoulder. He checked her over quickly for injuries, but found none. Without another thought Alec scooped her up in his arms and started to carry her through to the bedroom, but he only got halfway before she started to seize forcefully. "Shh, shh… It's okay Maxie, I'm here. You're going to be alright," he whispered into her hair comfortingly, breathing in her scent in an unconscious attempt to reassure himself that she would be alright, as he hugged her more tightly to his broad chest.

When the worst of the tremors had subsided he began to make his way quickly to her bedroom once again. He deposited her gently on the bed, making her as comfortable as possible before racing back into the bathroom to retrieve the tryptophan tablets he'd noticed scattered across the floor. He suspected that she'd been trying to take them when she was hit by a violent seizure, and had fallen unconscious before she could take any.

Alec returned to her side, placing a glass of water on her bedside table before cautiously placing a strong arm beneath her back, lifting her limp form up into a sitting position and scooting in behind her. He had her sitting up in bed in front of him as he sat behind her and slightly to the side, allowing her weight to lean against his chest and her head to rest against his shoulder.

"Max…?" He supported her head and tenderly brushed a lock of hair out of her face, his brows pinched in worry as he desperately searched for any sign that she was conscious. "Max, you need to wake up for me," Alec pleaded as he stroked the soft skin of her cheeks gently to try to wake her up. But to no avail.

"This is all your fault! If only you weren't so goddamn stubborn all the fucking time!" he swore not so softly in frustration, sticking a couple of fingers into the glass of water and flicking them in her face. In the back of his mind he was desperately hoping that her eyes would suddenly snap open and that she'd begin to kick his ass for having the audacity to blame her for anything, even something that _was_ entirely her fault.

Max groaned almost imperceptibly as her eyelids fluttered slightly and her brows furrowed in pain. As the light assaulted her senses she shut her eyes again and turned her head, burying her face further into the crook of Alec's neck.

"Max! I need you to stay awake and take your meds. You're having a seizure," Alec said desperately, unable to keep the anxiety and relief out of his voice as he continued to wipe his wet hand across her forehead, trying to keep her conscious whilst reaching for her pills with the other.

He was having trouble controlling the fear that gripped his heart and the panic that churned his stomach, and goddamn it, he was a soldier! He was trained to be cool and calm under pressure, and here he was losing it when Max needed him most. As he drank in her appearance he couldn't remember having ever seen her look so hurt and vulnerable, and he knew only too well from his days at Manticore how badly this might still end.

"Alec?" Max mumbled, her tongue thick and uncooperative. She was desperately trying to work out where she was and what had happened as she fought to stay conscious. All she knew was that _he_ was there with her. All around her.

"Yeah Max, it's Alec. I need you to open your mouth so I can give you your meds." He hovered behind her with an agitated look marring his beautiful face as he prayed desperately that she wouldn't pass out again before he could administer her medication. He was after all a man…his coping abilities in these sorts of situations only went so far.

Max screwed up her face as she tried to focus on his face swimming right in front of her, her vision blurry, but opened her mouth as commanded, for once doing as she was bid. Alec popped the pills onto the back of her tongue and held the glass of water to her lips.

"Now steady. Just be careful you--"

She suddenly coughed roughly on the water, sending a light spray onto the front of Alec's shirt and down the side of his neck, the light mist beading on his golden skin.

"-- don't choke," Alec warned too late, giving a small sarcastic smile at the fact Max never did what he said, not even on her sickbed. "You okay?" he asked softly as he rubbed her back soothingly, ducking his head to look her in the eye as he let her back rest more heavily against his front.

This was something entirely new to Alec, but something that he had always wondered about - what it would feel like to care for someone and to be able to provide them comfort in their time of need. And surprisingly he found that he liked the feeling it gave him. He had always secretly envied, and more vocally attenuated, what the outwardly happy couples he saw walking down the street had.

He had also wondered if _he_ would be any good at it. Would he be able to care enough? Would he be able to be selfless enough to give enough of himself to another person? And would they be able to hold his admittedly limited attention span?

But sitting here holding Max like this made him think for the first time with any real conviction that he could. Because he liked the closeness it gave him to Max, and not just in the physical sense - although that was a whole lot nicer than he could have imagined - but he liked the emotional closeness it provided; something in the past he'd had only for a very brief period of time. He suddenly realised that Max was the person who knew him best, and that he considered her his best friend. He also knew that he was the person that knew her best - even if _she_ didn't know it - and that he was the person that she always turned to when in need. But that being said, neither _really_ knew the other. They both held their feelings back, not willing to relinquish that last ounce of control.

He didn't blame either of them for it, he knew exactly where it came from. After all, it was often the only skill that would keep you alive in _that _place. Alec couldn't remember how many times his ability to shutter his emotions and disengage from a situation had literally saved his life at Manticore. He realised that it might finally be time for both of them to take that last step… maybe they could do it together.

Max let her head fall back to rest against his shoulder as she wiped her mouth with the back of a shaky hand. As she relaxed and leaned more fully into his solid chest she became aware of several things. Firstly, she could distinctly feel the heat of his body seeping through her clothes anywhere she came in contact with him, and because of the clamminess of her skin all she wanted to do was bury further into his warmth. She was also very aware of his hands on her back and was consciously following the idle rhythmic patterns he was tracing languidly on her skin, almost like he was trying to communicate something with her, something he wouldn't say. But what was most surprising was that if she concentrated she could feel the beat of his heart against her shoulder where she was pressed against him - and it was beating unusually fast. She closed her eyes for a moment and concentrated on the feelings of comfort and safety she felt. They were feelings she wasn't used to, and they were…nice.

Max suddenly forced herself to open her eyes and reach for the blanket beside her. While these feelings _were_ nice, they were also dangerous, and not feelings she wanted to become reliant on. She knew from experience that becoming too accustomed to these types of feelings only hurt like a bitch when you had to go back to doing without them again.

"Who do you want me to call?" Alec asked while helping to ease her carefully into a horizontal position and arrange the blankets around her as he slipped out from behind her.

"No one, I'm fine. I just need some rest," she replied hoarsely as she lay down and started to shake as another seizure gripped her.

"Max, you need help. Look at you. You look like shit, and I just found you unconscious on your bathroom floor," he argued matter-of-factly, his face the picture of determination.

Great, just what she needed, he was going to be difficult. "P-p-promise m-me Alec," she stuttered. "P-promise me y-you won't t-tell anyone," she pleaded looking up at him with wide brown eyes, her brows pinched together in pain and anxiety.

Alec knew in that moment that it was all over. He was finished. He would never be able to remain stalwart against that Bambi look, regardless of how important it was that he did so.

"Max I --"

"Only you. Promise!" she hissed with as much ferocity as she could muster, clenching her teeth together to try to stop their chattering.

"Alright, alright," he bit off, running a hand through his lengthening hair roughly, frustrated with himself for being unable to refuse her anything. "But if you even sniffle I'm getting help. I don't want your death on my conscience," he replied stonily, determined to not give in without at least one condition.

"Being a little m-melodramatic aren't w-we?" she teased with a pained smile, trying to make light of the situation that they now found themselves in. Max recognised the irony in her situation. Ordinarily she bitched and complained that Alec never took anything seriously, but now all she wanted was for him to _stop_ with the seriousness.

"I don't think so Max. You look like hell, and you just scared three shades of shit out of me," he said deadly serious, raking his eyes over her and taking in her sickly appearance with concern.

A wave of guilt suddenly assailed her as she met his eyes, the fear and worry unconcealed in their hazel depths. She really was scaring him.

"Thankyou," she said, looking him in the eye and holding his gaze, trying to communicate how important this was to her. She didn't want her flaws and vulnerabilities witnessed by all of T.C. How could she expect them to have any respect or confidence in her as their leader if they knew how weak and flawed she _truly_ was?

"You okay here for a minute if I go to find some milk?" he asked quietly as he lightly stroked her forehead with his thumb, almost like he was trying to erase the furrows of pain with his soothing touch. His fingers were surprisingly soft and warm, and with a jolt of yearning Max couldn't remember the last time someone touched her like that.

She nodded as she closed her eyes, taking a deep painful breath, and listened to him quietly leave the room.

oOoOoOoOo

Max wasn't aware of the passing of time but she awoke to warm fingers on her forehead again, stroking soothingly, and the low rumble of a familiar male voice.

"Sorry to wake you," Alec murmured softly from where he was perched next to her on the edge of the bed, "but you really should drink this," he said, inclining his head toward the tall glass of chilled milk that now sat on her nightstand.

She pulled herself upright with difficulty, her strength sapped from the seizures. Alec picked up the glass and handed it to her carefully, his eyes scrutinising her condition in minute detail, looking for any signs that he should do what it was his gut was telling him and call somebody.

Max grimaced, her muscles were sore and unresponsive and her head thumped so violently that she couldn't think or concentrate on anything but the pain. She caught sight of Alec out of the corner of her eye and saw his focus sharpen and a corresponding flash of pain flitter across his face, mirroring hers. She gritted her teeth and schooled her features, determined not to let him see her pain. She hated the fact that he was seeing her like this, and she didn't want to give him any more reason to stay and fuss over her like he was currently doing. She could take care of this herself.

Alec took the glass from her when she was done, and placed it back on the nightstand. "Feel better?"

"Yeah," she replied unsteadily as she shifted back down the bed to lie down again; trying to disguise the tremors still wracking her small body.

Alec watched intently for any sign of her seizures intensifying, continuing to sit where he was next to her, his attention never leaving her still form, his hazel eyes serious.

"Alec, what are you doing?" Max finally asked after a moment, trying to sound annoyed but not quiet managing, instead sounding small and frail.

"I'm making sure that your meds work and you stay conscious," he replied matter-of-factly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "See, no seizures _and_ I'm conscious," she stated annoyed.

"Pfft," Alec snorted, dismissing her reasoning in one inelegant puff of air.

"I'm fine. Go and do something… _useful_." She waved a dismissing hand in the direction of the door as she stifled a yawn. She could feel a wave of exhaustion breaking over her as her meds and the milk kicked in.

"Hey, I'll leave you to rest once I'm convinced you're not gonna go belly-up on me. Just pretend I'm not here," Alec suggested with a grin, enjoying Max's corresponding grimace of disgust at his turn of phrase.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec waited until Max was lying still, her breathing slow and rhythmic. He gingerly slid off the bed trying not to disturb her, but as soon as she felt his weight leave the mattress her eyes fluttered open to look straight at him. His breath caught in the back of his throat as he stared into their depths. They were trusting and vulnerable and unguarded… and she was looking at him in a way he had always hoped she would. There was no annoyance, no judgement and no agenda. For the first time ever he felt as though she were truly looking at him. She was totally focused on him… and he liked it.

The spell was broken when she closed her eyes again and appeared to go back to sleep. "Ah… you think you'll be okay here for a little while, while I go down to headquarters and make sure no one's slackin' off?" he murmured, clearing his throat subtly. "One of us at least needs to be down there or rumours are gonna start flyin' once everyone realises the two of us are shacked up in your apartment," he said flashing her a cheeky grin. All of a sudden that innocent cheeky grin devolved in to something truly wicked. "On second thoughts that could be kinda fun - - "

"Alec," she warned sleepily in a tone Alec thought was adorable. If only he could see her like this more often.

"Oh come on Max, where is your sense of humour?" he asked, his eyes bright with boyish enthusiasm at the thought of pulling a prank.

Without opening her eyes Max deftly grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at Alec, hitting him squarely in the face. Hard. He never even saw it coming.

Alec just shook his head, a little dazed, and turned to stalk out of the apartment. Even when the woman wasn't trying she was the bane of his existence.

As Max listened to Alec march out the door, she gave a small smirk as she imagined the adorable look of annoyance she knew he was currently wearing.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec remained in T.C.'s headquarters for the rest of the day, directing and organising all the day-to-day operations. Normally this job fell to Max, who would then delegate to those she trusted. In the three months since the establishment of Terminal City Max had set up a division of labour that allowed the city to run relatively smoothly most days. Dix and Luke had been assigned to oversee all telecommunications and Intel; Mole dealt with all things concerning munitions; while Alec's role was - - well far more adaptable and less clearly defined. Basically he just did whatever it was Max told him to. Which was fine by him, since he'd never harboured a desire to wield any sort of real power.

When one looked carefully at the balance of power within the city it was at first difficult to define whether it was in fact a democracy or an autocracy. Superficially T.C. was Max's show. When she made a decision or barked out an order all jumped to attention and scuttled away to do her bidding. But should there be any rumblings of discontent amongst the masses concerning one of her decisions, a meeting would be called and the matter discussed.

It was somehow through this arrangement that Alec had unexpectedly found himself in the position of mediator between Max and the unhappy fraction. For some reason beyond his understanding most residents of T.C. found him to be trustworthy and approachable, often coming to him with their complaints or concerns. He would then approach Max and attempt to negotiate a solution amenable to all parties. He was now unofficially thought of as Max's Second in Command. If Max was unavailable residents knew they should consult Alec. For this reason no one's suspicions were aroused when Alec stepped into T.C.'s headquarters and took control. Well almost no ones…

"So where's her ladyship today?" Mole asked snidely.

"Out," Alec replied, being intentionally vague as he looked over Dix's shoulder at something on the computer screen.

"Yeah, probably out flouncing around somewhere having a lovely time while the rest of us are stuck in here doing all the work," Mole said, gnashing on his cigar. It was no secret within T.C. that Max and Mole had a tenuous relationship at best.

"D'know. Max's personal life is her personal life. I don't ask questions – I find it saves me a lot of pain." Alec replied ruefully, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips as he acknowledged the truthfulness of this statement.

"Where's her accountability, huh? She can't just bunk off whenever the fancy takes her," Mole groused, really getting into the swing of his argument.

"Max gives herself wholeheartedly to this place, she's entitled to a personal day every now and again." Alec replied as he turned to face the transhuman, an edge to his voice which carried an implied warning which the lizard didn't appear to heed.

"I wish I could take a personal day whenever the fancy took me."

"Well you might as well Mole, considering the _astounding_ amount of work you're getting done at this moment," Alec retorted dryly, turning around to focus his attention back on the computer screen, growing tired of the conversation. While he was not about to break his promise to Max, he was not about to lie to Mole either. Mole was a friend as well as a resident of T.C., and Alec did not believe that as either he should be lied to. It was his philosophy that leaders should never lie to their people, it just wasn't conducive to a healthy relationship.

"Alright smart-ass I'm going, but you might wanna be careful pretty-boy. You're starting to sound so much like _her_ that you might wake up one day to find you've grown a pair of titties!" he threw over his shoulder as he stalked out of the room, a large grin adorning his face around his cigar.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec found it extraordinarily difficult to concentrate at all that day. His mind kept wandering back to Max, and the overwhelming urge he had to go and check on her. He knew she'd probably be alright now and just needed some rest, but that didn't stop him worrying. The urge to see her continued to build, and he had to concentrate hard on disguising his preoccupation and force his mind back onto his work.

When he wasn't worrying about her being up in her room all alone with no one to help her should she need it, he was thinking about how incredibly stupid she had been. Man she infuriated him – to the point where he had trouble keeping his hands off her – and not in a way she would enjoy. He'd been watching her more and more closely the last couple of weeks and he knew that she hadn't been eating or sleeping properly, and now she was apparently neglecting her pills. All he felt like doing was violently shaking some sense into her. Didn't she realise she'd scared him to death? Didn't she realise how close she'd come to dying? Who knows what could have happened if he hadn't persisted at her door this morning, but instead had given into the temptation to walk away.

He knew this was a situation entirely of Max's creation, occurring directly as a result of her pride and inability to ask for help. Not only was she risking her own life through her childish behaviour, but she was endangering the future of T.C. and all its residents. And as much as he hated to admit it, Alec knew Max was the glue that was holding them together. If God help it she died as a result of her carelessness with her own health, he feared that Terminal City would cease to function - and possibility him along with it.

All day Alec battled these emotions, see-sawing between agonising worry and blinding fury. Max might be able to run T.C. almost single-handedly, but she had just proven beyond a doubt that she couldn't be trusted to ensure her own health. And the heart-stopping panic that she had inflicted on him this morning had spurred Alec into a radical decision – someone was going to have to make Max accountable for her actions.

* * *

**A/N: **This is my first fic and I'm kinda interested to know what anyone thinks. I have a reasonable amount already in draft form and am going to post the first couple of chapters at once. I'm sorta doing this for my own amusement, but if I get some interest I will really try to post promptly. So if you have a spare minute let me know what you think – even if you think it blows, let me know and I'll stop wasting your time and mine. Cheers!


	2. Declaring Guardianship

**Tough Love**

**Pairing:** M/A

**Rating:** M – for language.

**Summary:** After Max recklessly endangers her life – again – Alec steps in as her self-appointed guardian, becoming commanding, authoritative and unpredictable…

**Disclaimer:** I would like to disclaim that I own nothing, although I am willing to sell my body to Jensen for anything he is willing to trade me for it.

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**Declaring Guardianship**

As the afternoon progressed, and the period of time since he had last seen her lengthened, the urge to _see_ for himself that she was alright intensified… until Alec couldn't fight it anymore.

"Right, I'm done for the day," he broadcast to the room as he finished writing a note for Max outlining what they'd accomplished that day.

"Yeah, and let's hope dominatrix Barbie decides to grace us with her presence tomorrow," Mole said, unable to refrain from taking another jab at Max as he sat in the corner cleaning a gun.

"Am I not a satisfactory replacement?" Alec asked teasingly, assuming a wounded look so disarmingly intense it would put a puppy to shame. "Are you dissatisfied with my work?"

Mole couldn't help but chuckle at his antics. "Are you kidding! I wish you'd run this place everyday, pal. I just don't like _Her Highness_ taking unannounced personal days when the rest of us are stuck here. Not when all this is her doing," he said as he looked around T.C., referring to Max's big 'fight not flight' speech that had altered their lives forever just a few months ago.

"Yeah, well I bet Max is back tomorrow busting everyone's balls as usual," Alec commented as he stood and stretched lithely. "I'll see ya tomorrow. I got somewhere I gotta be."

"You got a hot lady friend waiting on you?" Luke asked, slightly in awe of Alec's reputation with women.

"Something like that," Alec said dryly, smiling at the irony. "If something comes up get me on my cell," he threw over his shoulder as he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and strode out the door, a swagger in his stride.

Alec was relieved to finally be out the door for the day and on his way to check on Max. While he was more than perfectly capable of handling things in her absence, he would be relived when she returned to take the reins back again. Although he had been designed for a command position and received extensive training and practice, he had never felt completely comfortable with the station – he figured it just wasn't congruent with his personality. Besides, that was Max's thing, and she was good at it. He was more than happy to play a lesser role in the background and let her do the hero thing she seemed to get off on so much.

On the way to Max's Alec stopped off at the Mess Hall to pick up some more milk, as well as a couple of apples and some bread. He had noticed lately how thin and gaunt Max was looking, and how infrequently she would pause during the day to eat anything. From now on he was going to make sure that changed. Besides, he really wasn't into that anorexic look on a woman - he was a man who appreciated smooth lines and full curves.

"What's with all the milk? You hiding a baby some place?" enquired Morris, the transhuman whom Max had put in charge of running the kitchen, such as it was.

"Nope," Alec replied with a naughty grin as he gathered his supplies, "picnic in bed."

oOoOoOoOo

Max was reluctantly pulled from sleep by a soft knock at her front door, and someone opening and closing it behind them. She ran a hand over her face and pulled herself up into a semi-upright position; recognising exactly whose footfalls she could hear approaching her room.

"How are you feeling?' Alec asked as he appeared in her bedroom doorway, his eyes instantly taking in her dishevelled appearance, and he was glad to see that she had finally gotten some rest.

"Better," she said, her voice betraying the fact that she'd been asleep only moments before. Alec had to hide a smile as he took in her tousled appearance, he had to admit that she looked really cute with bed hair.

"I brought you some stuff," he said as he leaned casually up against her bedroom doorway, his arms folded across his broad chest and his eyes calmly assessing her. Max took the opportunity to run her eyes over him, taking in the way his dark t-shirt clung to his sculptured chest and biceps, and the way his jeans highlighted his muscular thighs as he held her door up, one ankle crossed casually in front of the other. The man just exuded sexual confidence.

"Ah, thanks," she replied, tearing her eyes away from him as she got to her feet cautiously, testing her strength.

"Do you want me to make you anything?" Alec asked whilst taking the opportunity to scrutinise her more closely, his eyes reflecting his disquiet at her unsteady progress.

"Nah, I need a shower."

Alec recognised a dismissing tone when he heard one - after all he'd been on the receiving end of more than a few from Max - but he chose not to heed it. Instead he watched as she carefully picked her way across the room towards him, but made no attempt to get out of her way.

Max came to a stop right in front of Alec when she realised he wasn't making any move to let her pass. As she looked up into his eyes she encountered an expression and countenance she was unfamiliar with, and couldn't read. There was something dark and unrestrained swimming in their depths. Max suddenly became hyper aware of the meagre inches that separated her from his broad chest, and the way in which his presence filled her small room, shrinking it till it was just them. She could feel his body heat emanating from him, smell the faint scent that she only ever associated with him, and the rhythmic caress of his warm breath on her neck.

As he peered down at her Alec decided that she definitely looked better than she had this morning - not that she ever looked _bad_ he mused silently. However, he didn't miss the subtle way she tried to compensate for her sore and stiff muscles as she got to her feet, or the weariness that was still evident in the lines of her face.

He remained for a moment staring down at her silently, his tall frame barring her exit. Then slowly in one fluid movement he took a step back, providing a narrow passageway. Max quickly squeezed passed him and headed for the safety of the bathroom without looking back, but she could feel his gaze upon her as she retreated, and she swore she felt it linger on her ass entirely too long.

oOoOoOoOo

As she emerged from the bathroom some time later Max secretly hoped that Alec had tired of waiting and had left. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for what he had done - he'd possibly saved her life - not that she'd ever be admitting that out loud. And sure, she considered him a friend - of sorts - but he was the last person with whom she wanted to discuss what had happened. She felt acutely embarrassed about what she had allowed to transpire, and more embarrassed that it had been Alec that had found her in that state. For some reason that she couldn't explain she couldn't bare the thought of Alec seeing her flaws.

But what had really disturbed her was the penetrating way he had looked at her only moments ago. She sensed a change in him, almost like someone had flicked a switch and this was no longer her 'smart' Alec. He was somehow darker, more foreboding. Her instincts were warning her in no uncertain terms that this Alec was dangerous. She imagined that this was what it felt like when an animal's instinct alerted it to the presence of a predator. She couldn't put her finger on it… but something had shifted. Something was off…

"I made you a cup of tea," Alec informed her calmly when he noticed her enter the room. "Sugar?"

"Ah, yeah…thanks." Max stopped to watch him warily as he busied himself in the kitchen. She was surprised to notice how comfortable and competent he appeared as he moved around her small kitchen – almost like he had always belonged there.

When Alec had finished adding her sugar he walked around the counter with the two cups in his large hands and ushered her towards the couch. He waited while she obediently sank into the cushions, and deftly handed her a mug. He then positioned himself opposite her in an old armchair, appraising her silently from over the rim of his mug. He wanted to give her the opportunity to begin this conversation.

For the second time that day Max felt the room shrink, and once again Alec's unwavering gaze was making her intently uncomfortable. She could feel it on her skin, everywhere it wandered, like hot fingertips dancing over her skin; till the only thing she was aware of was_ him_. She drew her legs up underneath herself self-consciously and tried unsuccessfully to concentrate on a stain on the carpet, while she blew distractedly on her tea. She could feel his heated gaze on her skin as he took in her every feature.

As he sat and studied her, Alec became aware for the first time of his ability to make Max uncomfortable. He could see that she was unable to sit still, fidgeting constantly, and she pointedly refused to look at him. He acknowledged that Max had always been defensive and distant, even with those closest to her - it was just how she was - but this was something different. Max was unsettled, and _he_ was the cause of it. Alec smiled inwardly at that knowledge. After what she had just put him through she deserved to suffer a little.

"So, are you going to explain?" His calm deep voice shattering the silence.

Max's eyes flew up to meet his. Her surprise at him having spoken was plainly evident on her face; his silence having fooled her into thinking she might just get away with not discussing anything. "Nothing to explain," she shrugged nonchalantly, lifting her chin defiantly.

Alec's silence reverberated around the room, his unwaveringly dark gaze clearly communicating his disagreement with her statement. "I think there is," he replied simply. "Like why I found you unconscious on your bathroom floor?"

"It was just a turn. I'm fine now," she said defensively as she shrugged one shoulder, not able to make herself look him in the eye as she said this, instead finding something fascinating over his right shoulder.

For the life of him Alec could not fathom her stupidity. He had noticed her health flagging the past couple of weeks as she worked herself into the ground. He knew her well enough to know that Max would never willingly allow anyone to witness her weakness, so if _he_ was able to recognise the signs of her exhaustion then _she_ definitely had. It was common knowledge that those X-5's that suffered seizures did so most when under intense pressure and stress, something he knew Max was aware of.

"Now that's not entirely true, is it Max?" Alec challenged, his eyes narrowing slightly as they bore into her, his entire countenance becoming predatory.

"Of course it is," she snapped, her cheeks beginning to colour; whether from embarrassment or anger he wasn't sure. "I passed out before I could take my meds. It snuck up on me, that's all. It won't happen again."

"Has anyone ever told you you're a lousy liar, Max?" Alec replied coolly, a hint of humour in his voice which was not reflected in his cold eyes.

Max stared at him in wide-eyed shock. _Who was this person?_ Because this certainly wasn't the cocky, heedless Alec she knew. The Alec now sitting opposite cooling assessing her was baiting her, manipulating her. He exuded authority; and she felt exposed under that penetrating hazel gaze, like he could see right through her untruths and read her thoughts.

Alec had to suppress a smile at the priceless look of shock and confusion flashing across Max's face. He read with amusement the uncertainty that flashed behind her eyes, and recognised the fact that she was at a loss as how best to react to his unusual behaviour. She reminded him of a skittish filly, apprehensive and wary when faced with an unknown entity; she couldn't discern whether he was friend or foe. Alec smiled inwardly at the intensity of the reactions he was eliciting from her. For the first time ever he felt as though Max was taking him seriously - and he liked the feeling.

He was beginning to question why he had never taken this tact with her before. Why had he never challenged her, or made her listen to him? He had looked on helplessly for months now, watching her abuse herself and allowing her to disregard his concern, and now look what it had come to. It had taken the act of her almost killing herself through neglect for him to decide that things were going to change.

"I know you haven't been well for the last couple of days Max, so don't bother feeding me anymore crap."

"I … ah --"

"What were you thinking!? Or do you genuinely not care whether you live or die?" he growled at her, deadly serious, and clearly furious.

Max flinched at his insinuation. "Don't be ridiculous!"

"Come on Max, your actions aren't exactly those of a woman who cherishes life. For Christ's sake, you might as well have gone bungee jumping with dental floss!" Alec yelled; he was quickly losing the battle to control his fury, and he had to work hard to keep his hands off her neck. "You know as well as I do how badly this could have ended."

"Stop being so melodramatic, it was nothing like that," she bit back savagely.

"No?" Alec demanded as he raised an eyebrow, pinning her with a gaze that was so intense Max had trouble not looking away.

"No. And I don't wanna talk about this anymore," she snapped jumping off the couch and turning her back on him, attempting to flee.

In a flash Alec was on his feet, his hand gripping her arm savagely, spinning her around and roughly hauling her against his hard chest.

"Tough!" he snarled at her.

They were standing toe to toe, Max having to bend her neck back at an awkward angle to look him in the eye. They were standing so close that they were breathing the same air, and she could feel the hard planes of his chest burning into hers through her clothes, and caught his subtle masculine scent as he leaned down to get in her face.

"Alec, let go of me," she gulped, looking nervously down to where his hand bit into her arm, before shifting wide eyes up to meet his determined gaze. Although he had an unbreakable hold on her he wasn't causing her any pain; and it wasn't the fear that he was going to that drove her need to put some distance between them. She was most fearful of the affect his searching eyes were causing - clouding her thoughts, making her flustered, and the treacherous way her body was reacting to his proximity. Her whole being was concentrated on the man in front of her - and it scared her.

"You're not going anywhere. Not until we resolve this," he said in a low commanding tone that she had never heard him use before, but which demanded her attention and respect no matter how hard she fought it.

"There is nothing to resolve. This is none of you're business!" she hissed back defiantly, struggling to collect her thoughts and regain control of both the conversation and her body's reactions.

Alec laughed harshly, without humour. "That's where you're wrong Max. If you manage to kill yourself who do you think will have to pick up the pieces, huh? Who do you think will be left to guide your subjects and protect them against the world? That's what you don't seem to understand Max," he said shaking his head sadly at her. "T.C. is like an arch in one of those old gothic churches. We're just a bunch of rocks. There's no cement, no mortar – just you. You're our keystone Max. That little odd-shaped stone right at the top that single-handedly holds all the others together; and if it's removed the rest of the arch collapses. _**You **_are what holds us together," he said as he stared intently into her eyes, his concern and fear clearly visible for her to see.

Max just stood there gaping at him for a minute, held in a suspended state by the intensity of his eyes and his close proximity. It was almost like the air had been sucked out of her. Like the closer she got to him, the more of her he absorbed.

"I'm not going to let you do it to them. I'm not going to let you do it to _yourself_," Alec continued, his tone and eyes softening. He leaned in even closer, his warm breath tickling her ear, "I'm going to be keeping my eye on you, Max. Don't make us have to have another little chat," he said ominously, before releasing her arm and turning to stride out her front door without a backward glance.

**A/N:** Let me know what you think.


	3. Engage or Retreat?

**Tough Love**

**Pairing:** M/A…duh?!

**Rating:** M – for language.

**Summary:** After Max recklessly endangers her life – again – Alec steps in as her self-appointed guardian, becoming commanding, authoritative and unpredictable…

* * *

**Engage or Retreat?**

Max paced restlessly back and forth across her living room floor. She had been up all night replaying their conversation over and over in her head trying to make sense of it, but had gotten no where except to give herself a killer headache. Nothing made any sense to her anymore.

If she hadn't known any better she would have sworn she had been talking to Alec's clone, because she definitely hadn't been talking to the Alec she knew and loved to hate. This Alec hadn't pulled any punches. He'd told her exactly what he'd thought - and as much as she hated to admit it his words had had an affect. He'd destroyed her defences and left her feeling chastened, embarrassed and incredibly silly. Alec always told her things she didn't want to hear and that others were too afraid to say. And although that pissed her off to the extent that it could put her in the blackest mood known to man, it did force her to look at him with a begrudging respect. Nobody else ever dared incur her wrath - not like Alec did. But this time he had taken it to a whole other level.

But it wasn't so much his words that had jolted something deep inside of her, it was his complete personality change. He'd been direct, authoritative and … _intimidating?_ She couldn't believe Alec was having this effect on her. He made her nervous, unsettled; and the thought of walking down to H.Q. and seeing him again without knowing _which_ Alec she would encounter made a little fission of fear race down her spine – and surprisingly it wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling.

oOoOoOoOo

'_You can do this. You can do this. You can do this.'_ She ran the mantra over and over in her head as she travelled the familiar halls towards Headquarters. _'How many times have you kicked Alec's ass in the past? Too many times to count. So why are you getting so worked up over nothing?'_ Max admonished herself.

But secretly she knew the answer. It was because _this_ Alec kept her off balance; because _this_ Alec she didn't know and couldn't read; because it wasn't _this_ Alec's ass she'd kicked. She paused outside the doorway, squared her shoulders and clenched and unclenched her fists a couple of times, and breathing deeply forced all the nervous tension out of her body.

As she stepped into the room Max felt all eyes turn to her in acknowledgement and curiosity. Most people around T.C. had come to know Max pretty well in the last couple of months, admiring her dedication and relentless work ethic. It only stood to reason then that they'd all been slightly shocked the day before at her failure to appear for duty.

Max's eyes swept the faces in the room nodding occasionally to the eyes she met, but when she caught Alec's steady gaze she hesitated slightly before swiftly moving on without acknowledging him. She felt some of that nervous tension return.

"Nice of you to join us," Mole drawled as she approached the security monitors. He'd been waiting all morning for her appearance to let her know _exactly_ what he thought, and now that she had finally appeared he wasn't waiting a moment longer.

But Max made no indication that she'd heard him, instead choosing to ignore his comment and presence completely, walking right by him without acknowledgement. She really didn't want to have that conversation with anyone, especially Mole – it hadn't exactly been pleasant the first time around with Alec.

Mole, indigent about being ignored and not offered an explanation for her absence threw a _'can you believe her'_ look at Alec, as he opened his mouth ready to rip into her further. However, instead of receiving the shrug of indifference he was expecting, he was met with a dangerous look from the X-5, warning him _**not **_to pursue the subject. He quickly snapped his mouth shut and puffed on the cigar between his lips, glowering quietly.

"So where are we at?" Max asked addressing no one in particular, missing the exchange between the two men.

"Well, we had another thirty cousins turn up for the family reunion yesterday, and they've all been pretty much settled in. The extra numbers are gonna put a strain on resources, so we'll havta organise another raid soon, but --" Alec continued whilst turning to face her as he leaned casually against a desk to give his report.

Max barely took in what he was saying, instead using the opportunity to study him for signs of the Alec from yesterday; but as she scrutinised his body language and the tone of his voice she found nothing but the old familiar Alec.

All of a sudden Max realised Alec's mouth had stopped moving and he was looking at her with a knowing twinkle in his eye – he'd just caught her staring. Max gave a sharp nod as she tuned back in and quickly turned her attention to Dix and the bank of monitors.

"How's security?"

"All quiet on the home front," Dix smiled at her.

"Good," she said firmly. "Anything else?" she enquired, looking around the room at the transgenics gathered. After a moment with no response she turned to stride out the room, heading for the safety of her office. "Any drama, you know where I live."

oOoOoOoOo

Max spent the rest of the day locked in her office attempting to distract herself with paperwork, which also had the added advantage of allowing her to avoid Alec. Not that he seemed to notice or care, she thought distractedly.

As she sat at her desk and stared at the meaningless paperwork in front of her Max tried to come up with a strategy for how to best handle the situation with Alec, and as far as she could see there were only two possible courses of action – engage or retreat.

Her instincts were demanding that she engage - after all that was just who she was and what she did. Ever since Manitcore Max had never let anyone intimidate or manipulate her - she always made sure she drew first blood.

After living and working in such close proximity with Alec for the last couple of months, Max had developed a successful method for reasserting the boundaries when he overstepped them – cause boy, did he like to overstep boundaries! Ordinarily when dealing with Alec she would've just confronted him, chewed him out thoroughly, and then told him to back the hell off in no uncertain terms and let things go back to the way they always had been. But Max had only considered this strategy momentarily, the memory still fresh in her mind of yesterday's little heart-to-heart and the exposed unsettled feelings it had provoked. She didn't think that tactic was gonna cut it this time. It was time for a new strategy.

If she were honest, Max had to admit that she had never really considered Alec carefully. She had always just taken him at face value, and even then it wasn't even at the face he portrayed, but her assumption of how he was. But she had more than realised her mistake yesterday. There was definitely another side to the man that she had never considered. She realised that she was not prepared to engage her adversary until she had a better understanding of what he was up to._ What was Alec playing at?_

She knew the only thing for her to do for now was to retreat and avoid him for as long as she possibly could; and when that eventually failed she would pretend like nothing had ever happened. Maybe he had forgotten his parting warning to her?

If the old Alec returned then she would pretend that their exchange had never taken place and forget all about it, but if the enigmatical Alec returned she would need to… well, she honestly didn't know what she was going to do, but it would be something. She would have to shut him down before this – whatever _this_ was – got out of hand. She knew that this was not the best battle plan, but it was kinda hard to plan a strategy when you had no idea what your enemy's motives were.

Max was lost deep in her musings, until she happened to look up from the papers she had been staring at unseeingly to find him leaning up against her doorframe, his ankles crossed in front of him, and his arms folded, appraising her silently.

Max jumped in fright. "Goddamn it Alec, don't do that!" she swore. He continued to stare at her, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, and a knowing look in his eye. "How long have you been spying on me?" she demanded, irritated and embarrassed that he had been able to sneak up on her and study her unnoticed for God knows how long.

"I don't spy Max, I keenly observe and appraise."

"Well don't in future. It's creepy," she replied, whilst starting to move papers around her desk.

"They must have been pretty interesting," Alec commented with a sly little smile.

"Huh? she grunted distractedly as she looked for an allusive piece of paper that didn't exist.

"Your thoughts. You were on another planet."

"They were…nothing…not important," she muttered, wondering if he had developed the ability to read her thoughts. She threw a tentative glance up at him. Suddenly he smirked, and she could clearly see even before he opened his mouth that this was her Alec - and he was about to make an inappropriate remark.

"You were having dirty thoughts about me weren't you, Maxie?"

"You wish," she snorted, relieved they were back on familiar ground.

"Well anytime you wanna turn those daydreams of yours into reality, ya only gotta ask. I'd be only too happy to make _another_ woman's fantasy come to life."

"You're _soooo_ generous," Max replied, unable to hide the small smile as she rolling her eyes violently, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

"I'm a giving kinda guy, Max. Again, and again, _and again…"_ he drawled with an intensely wicked look that promised to deliver on his _e-v-e-r-y_ word. Max felt her blood heat and little tendrils of excitement race down her spine. She stamped on the feeling. _Hard_.

"Yap, yap, yap. Do you ever shut up?" she complained shaking her head in frustration as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair; something which did not go unnoticed by Alec. "My fantasies vary depending on how annoying you're being at any particular moment, but the punch line is always the same. You. Gagged."

"Wow Max, kinky." Alec breathed, his voice smooth and deep; clearly impressed with her suggestion. "I would never have figured you had it in you, but now I can see I've judged a little hastily. I'm not that big into the bondage stuff myself, but that scenario definitely…_definitely_…has potential. Something we can explore together," he smirked self-assuredly, his hooded eyes watching with interest as a subtle blush crept up her neck.

"Argh!" Max growled, as she slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand dramatically. "What do you want, Alec?" she looked up at him in annoyance and frustration; he was just so impossible. She had by now almost forgotten about the awkwardness she had felt towards him earlier; comfortable once again in their familiar ribbing.

Alec momentarily lost focus as dozens of naughty answers to her question ran through his head, many with a pictorial accompaniment. "I'm headed down to the Mess to get something to eat," he replied quickly.

"Good for you. And as much as I enjoy these updates concerning your every movement, they're really not necessary. Now shoo," she said, looking back down at her paperwork and shaking her hand in the air at him dismissively; relieved that things were back to normal and that she could now do that paperwork without distraction.

"You're coming with me."

"No, I'm not," she retorted annoyed. "I don't need to observe your feeding rituals up close, Alec. You're on your own. Now get." Max refused to look at him again, instead planning on pointedly ignoring him till he gave up and left her alone.

They'd performed this dance many times before when Alec had tried to interfere with her life previously, and she'd always won and he'd always walked away; because, she assumed, he was not willing to expend the energy necessary to go head-to-head with her. But after several minutes had passed and Alec still remained silently in her doorway, Max couldn't fight the pull to look at him anymore. She needed to find out what he thought he was doing. But as soon as her eyes met his she realised her mistake. His face was a blank mask except for his eyes. They were determined, detached and penetrating. She hadn't seen it happen, but she was no longer looking at a man she knew or recognised.

"You're coming with me, Max," Alec repeated, this time more slowly and with more command. There was just something in that tone that made her want to obey, regardless of what her will wanted.

"No I'm not. I'm too busy…and anyway, I'm not hungry."

"That's irrelevant."

"Uh, no. It's kind of the point…" she snorted, shaking her head at his bizarre logic.

"It's dinner time, and we _are_ going to eat dinner," Alec explained to her calmly, like he was reasoning with a small dim-witted child.

And that was all it took. All of a sudden Max felt something snap within her. _Patronising bastard!_ "Who fuck do you think you are!?" she fumed, sending her chair crashing to the floor as she jumped up and stalked her way towards him menacingly, embracing the rage that was now surging uncharted through her veins. She realised this whole retreat and ignore strategy was obviously not going to get the job done. It was time for some offensive action. "You need to remember your place, and who you're talking to," she warned, her eyes flashing dangerously as she glared at him, poking his chest with her finger to annunciate her words.

His hand shot out and grabbed her arm above the elbow in a vice like grip, more violent than the one he'd used on her yesterday. "No Max, _you_ need to remember_ your_ place, and who _you're_ talking to," he ground out as he advanced on her, looming above her at his full height. "_I_ know I'm talking to a self-righteous, misguided little girl who's acting like a reckless child. That's why I've become your self-appointed guardian; and as such _I_ say it's dinner time. Now let's go," he commanded as he hauled on her arm, pulling her along beside him as they exited her office and headed in the direction of the Mess Hall.

"How dare you! Get your hands off me!" she yelled as she struggled in his grasp; but he had the advantage both in weight and strength.

"Two choices, Max," he said, suddenly stopping to look down at her again. "Do as you're told and come willingly…"

"Or what?" she snapped staring up at him defiantly, the fire in her eyes blazing.

"Or I'll get you there anyway I have to," he said, giving her a cold threatening smile - like he couldn't wait for her to give him an excuse.

"You wouldn't dare! You know - - Ommph!"

Quick as a snake Alec grabbed her and swung her effortlessly over his right shoulder in a fireman's hold and started to stride down the streets of T.C., once again on his way to the Mess Hall.

"Son of a Bitch! Put me down before I tear you apart!" she snarled, teeth bared like a rabid dog.

"Max, Max, Max. So much hostility," Alec laughed at her mockingly, jostling her intentionally.

"This is a sick game. One I'm not playing!" she warned as she struggle against him, failing to find a position that would allow her any purchase to enable her to escape his iron grip. She knew it was next to impossible for her to escape unless he allowed it, and unfortunately he didn't appear to be in the most conciliatory of moods right now.

"Well, you're the resident expert on game playing Max. And as much fun as this has turned out to be, I'm not a willing participant. This is a game entirely of your own creation, Max. Any time you want you can end it. It's up to you."

"And what is it that I have to do to end this twisted game of yours?" she continued to struggle, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she had submitted to him.

"There is only one rule – look after your own welfare. From now on you're going to eat, sleep, bathe, take your medication and have time off at regular intervals throughout the day."

"You have got to be kidding me. It's like that show with gay men who manipulate people's lives because they _think_ they know better."

"Nice analogy. Appropriate," Alec remarked thoughtfully, but then hastened to add, "except not a gay man in sight. You are going to change your life for the better, Max. There will be no cheating. No exceptions to the rule."

"And if I don't?"

"Well how's that working for you at the moment?" he chuckled back at her, patting her on the rump.

Alec couldn't believe how reckless he was being. He knew how much his friendship with Max meant to him, and that what he was doing could potentially cost him that, but he found himself helpless to stop. "This is only the beginning Max," he said, once again serious. "But feel free to play the game to its utmost. I mean, it wouldn't be any fun if you didn't - but be warned, I'm playing to win. And I never lose once I've set my mind to something." The tone of his voice convinced Max of the truth of his words.

He stopped abruptly in the shadows outside the Mess Hall and dropped her unceremoniously back onto her feet. "Now go and have a lovely dinner," he said as he grabbed her shoulders and spun her in the direction of the door and gave her a push. "And Max?"

"Yeah," she replied uncertainly, looking back over her shoulder, still in a confused daze.

"Make sure you eat all you vegetables," he said with a cheeky grin and a wink.


	4. Game On!

**Chapter 4 - Game on!**

Max made sure that she stayed as far away from Alec as was transgenically possible whilst still in the same room. She sat at an empty table on the other side of the room and kept her head down and her eyes averted as she tried to get her mind around what had just happened, and how she was going to shut Alec down. Although she didn't want to believe it she had heard what Alec had said, and she believed him. He wasn't about to let this one slide. He was going to pursue this to its conclusion.

As she absently pushed her reconstituted mashed potato around her plate Max realised she was right back where she started – engage or retreat. And as she tossed both options round and around in her head neither appealed.

"Hey Lil' Fella, why you sitting alone?" the dogman asked as he stood in front of her table holding a plate of food.

"Just needed some space to think, Big Fella," Max sighed

"Joshua can sit somewhere else?" he said, cocking his head to the side innocently.

"No, it's okay, take a seat Big Fella. I could use the distraction."

"What Lil' Fella need distraction from?"

"Nothing. Everything," she replied non-specifically. "So what have you been up to today?" She was in need of a change in subject.

Joshua launched into a detailed account of the apartments he had been helping to fix up, giving Max the opportunity to only partially listen while she continued to try and solve her dilemma.

"Lil' Fella?"

"Hey, Lil' Fella?"

"Huh? What was that Josh?" Max asked, feeling a little ashamed that she had been caught not listening to her friend.

"Max not listening. Something not right."

"No, everything's fine Josh. I've just got a lot on my mind that's all," she replied as she returned to pushing her food around her plate.

"Max not like food?"

"Just not hungry," she said as she tossed her fork onto the plate and pushed it across the table with distaste. As soon as her hands left the plate the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she felt a hot penetrating gaze settle on her, almost as though a hot summer breeze was being focussed on her. Instinctively she looked in its direction, her eyes clashing with a pair of challenging hazel ones.

Alec was staring intently at her, ignoring everything else going on around him at the table. He slowly arched a questioning eyebrow at her, his eyes drifting to her abandoned plate and then back to her face, the challenge evident.

Max's eyes darted involuntarily between Alec and her discarded plate, and a guilty expression momentarily flashed across her face before she replaced it with a blank disinterested mask. She quickly ended her conversation with Joshua before getting up, scraping the remainder of her dinner into the trash and striding out the door and back to the safety of her office, not once looking back at him.

Alec watched Max's retreating back and a small devious smile spread across his face. He really wasn't surprised by Max's reaction - actually he had counted on it. It just wasn't in Max's nature to back down from a direct challenge. But now he had seen the affect he could have on her, and the way just a look from him could off-balance her, Alec wasn't disappointed with her resistance - he was going to have some fun with this. A thrill raced down his spine as he realised what this now meant for them both. It was game on!


	5. The Rules

**The Rules**

As Max sat in her office the next morning once again staring at inventory and personnel reports meaninglessly, she was again pulled from her thoughts by the presence of a very male body pressed against her doorframe. He looked at her speculatively, his face giving nothing away.

For a moment Max was unsure what tone she should be taking with him now that there was apparently two Alecs' - one of which she was at war with - and at the moment she couldn't be sure which one this was. In the end she decided why abandon tradition, and went with her standard Alec greeting.

"What do you want?"

Instead of making a reply to her question Alec simply pushed himself off the doorframe gracefully, took two steps into the room, and dropped a sheet of paper unceremoniously onto her desk.

"What's this?" Max asked reaching for it.

"'_They'_ are the rules."

Max's head shot up to look at him. She immediately knew which rules he was referring to; but as she studied him she became confused. He was standing there as if he had just handed her a standard weapons inventory – adversarial Alec was no where to be seen. He was calm, relaxed… normal, like this was nothing. His tone and face gave nothing away. He was non-combative, pleasant almost.

"I'm not playing your game, Alec," Max reiterated decisively, as she looked back down at the papers on her desk that for some reason were now far more interesting and urgent than they had been five minutes ago.

"It's not a game, Max," he replied in the same even, unaffected tone.

"What would you call it then?" Alec smiled inwardly at Max's surly attitude; obviously she still intended to take him on over this.

"I like to think of it more in terms of …behavioural management," a small smirk flittered across his face at his own humour.

"I'm not going to indulge you and consent to be your guinea pig, so you can just forget it," Max ground out, getting more and more worked up; his casual and blasé attitude irked her.

"And I told you yesterday that as long as you follow the rules as stipulated there," Alec said indicating the piece of paper lying on her desk, "we won't have a problem. However, should you fail to adequately adhere to the rules, we _will_ officially have a problem. Something I promise will prove to be…_ interesting_," he purred seductively in a way that caused Max's stomach to flip, and for a fleeting moment she wished they _did _have a problem right now.

Max gulped, as luckily sanity returned. She remembered all to well the humiliation and powerlessness his treatment of her yesterday had evoked - and that was without spectators. Somehow she knew that from now on he wouldn't be nearly so considerate in his dealings with her. But behind those feelings of unease and annoyance were others she didn't wish to acknowledge, but that were becoming more insistent – ones that enjoyed his attention and spontaneity.

"Read the rules, Max. They apply from here on in," Alec said simply as he sauntered out of the room.

oOoOoOoOo

As she read down the list Max could feel her temper rising and her control weaken. How _dare_ he! Who did he think he was trying and control her like this. She had never let anyone control her, and if he thought that she was about to submit to _him_ like _that_, he had another think coming!

As she paced backwards and forwards across her office she forced herself to calm down, making an attempt to control her breathing and release the tension from her body. She knew that storming out there and ripping him apart in front of everyone was not a wise idea – it would end badly. She wasn't prepared to take him on openly and have him publicly challenge her authority - she had to be patient. She realised that she now could no longer predict what Alec would do. He had proven in the last two days that he was volatile, determined and erratic – so how was she going to beat him at his own game?

She knew that the only way to handle this situation was with cunning. She had seen the challenge and determination in his eyes, and she was not fool enough to think that he was going to drop this anytime soon. She needed a plan. A strategic course of action. One that would wear him down and convince him that there was no way that he would be winning this. She saw immediately the downside to this strategy – time. This was a time intensive battle plan, one that would hopefully only take days, but in all probably would stretch to weeks.

She returned to her seat and picked up the sheet of paper again. Okay, so most of what he had said yesterday was on there. Number one stated that she had to eat three meals a day. Usually she managed one, grabbing something in-between whatever she was doing - besides, the food in T.C. was so unappealing that she would be surprised if anyone actually managed three meals a day. She saw that this 'rule' might cause her some problems. It was going to be difficult to circumvent if yesterdays demonstration had been anything to go by. She would need to think on that one and come up with some kind of exostrategy, but she knew there were always ways and means.

Number two included four hours of sleep a night. She wasn't worried about that one at all, it could be easily avoided if she felt like it. After all, Alec had to sleep sometime, and fortunately he needed a lot more of it than she ever did; and if he happened to think she was tucked up in bed like he was, so much the better. She continued on.

Number three. She was to always carry her medication on her person. She rolled her eyes as she read that. Carrying those pills around all day when she never left T.C. was overkill. She could always feel when one of her episodes was approaching and would dash back to her place and take them before it hit. The other night had occurred only because she had slept through the warning signs; and yeah, Max could admit to herself that she should have had her pills next to her bed seeing as though she had been feeling off lately, but to carry them around everywhere? _Pfft!_

Four included an hour off for recreation everyday, and twenty minute breaks every six hours. She often worked twenty-two hour days as it was, sometimes twenty-four; what was she to do with all this dead time? All up Max calculated that that was four hours to sleep, one for 'recreation' and another one for 'breaks' _per day_. How did the man expect her to get any work done?!

Number five was rather vague: _'no reckless endangerment of one's person.'_ She had no idea exactly what that pertained to, but she was confident that she would be able to argue her way out of that one if warranted. Besides, how was one to abide by a rule that was so ambiguous?

The final paragraph consisted of a clause, stating that cheating would '_not be tolerated'_, and that there were _'no exceptions'_. It did however, fail to specify what penalties would be incurred in the event that one or _all_ rules were broken, something Max didn't care to dwell on.

As Max looked at the list in front of her she decided that this was doable. Not in the sense that she was actually going to be _doing_ any of these things, at least anymore than she already did; but that she would be able to avoid doing them without Alec finding out, or without him being able to _prove_ that she had in fact, _not_ done them. She figured that after a couple of weeks he would realise that he was unable to enforce his stupid rules and capitulate.

After all he couldn't be everywhere she was at the exact same time, and how was he to know _everything_ she did or _did not_ do. And she did have one big advantage – she was in charge. She could always choose to invest her 'recreation' time into turning his life into a living hell as well. Alec would learn that payback _was_ a bitch – and her name was Max!

She also wasn't stupid. Max knew Alec was at least partially aware of the affect he was having on her; and although she didn't like and couldn't control the way she reacted to him sometimes, she knew that she could use it against him. He wasn't the only one who could manipulate. After all, she'd been manipulating the affections of men since childhood; and she knew that Alec was by no means immune. She just had to make sure that he didn't see it coming. If he wanted to play with fire and challenge her to a power game she was ready for him; after all she was used to throwing her small weight around. A small sly smile spread across her face as she thought about it. This might just turn out to be a bit of fun!


	6. Reconnaissance

**Reconnaissance**

As she strode into T.C.'s headquarters the next morning Max felt energised and confident. She had spent the night working on her battle plan and fortifying herself for the war ahead, and she felt confident. She was an expert at rolling with the punches and strategizing under pressure – you could say it was her forte – and she was confident that she could go up against anything Alec threw at her and come out on top.

She had decided that the best approach was to act as though nothing had changed; Alec mustn't suspect that she was taking him on head-on until it was too late. She was going to use the element of surprise, followed by tactics of confusion, diversion and exhaustion. By the time he realised what was happening, and that it was all a result of him and his stupid attempt to control her like every other man in her life, and that its conclusion could only result in his defeat, it would be too late and he would have no alternative but to submit.

The only intsy, tinsy, tiny little chink Max could see in her armour was this irrational reaction she had to authoritative Alec. She had always scoffed at women who said that they went weak at the knees in the presence of a commanding man – well, Max wasn't scoffing quite so loudly now! She thought she now had an inkling of what her fellow sisters had been banging on about.

And it wasn't just the weak knees, or the somersaulting stomach, or the snow storm her brain got lost in every time he pinned her with that penetrating hazel gaze; it was the naughty little voice that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the back of her mind. It reminded her of those cartoons, the ones where the little devil just pops up on your shoulder and has a moralistic debate with the angel on the other shoulder – but in Max's case there was no angel. There was no balancing voice of sanity and reason. There was just this voice that whispered…things it _shouldn't_.

Alec was aware of Max the moment she entered the room, his senses automatically tracking her. He'd fully prepared himself for the day from hell, expecting Max to be in a foul mood after his little ultimatum the day before. So when she practically skipped into headquarters and made her way over to where he was discussing the placement of several new security cameras with Dix and appeared to be in a decidedly sunny mood, he was more than a little stumped.

"Morning guys, how's it going?

"Morning Max. Everything's good. We just can't decide where to place the last camera," Dix replied cheerfully.

"Where have you put the rest?"

As she leaned over the blueprints and listened intently as Dix ran her through it, Alec took the opportunity to study her. She looked energised and relaxed, and he wasn't sure what had happened to have elicited this outcome. Maybe she would behave herself after all?

"…I'd put the last one high on the west wall facing south to cover that section of the perimeter. That's where we're most at risk of a breach," Max stated confidently.

"That's what Alec reckoned," Dix said tentatively, familiar with Max's bad moods wherever Alec's opinion was involved.

"Well sounds good, find someone to install them," she said as she turned around, missing the surprised glance that passed between Dix and Alec. "I'll be in my office if there's any drama."

oOoOoOoOo

Max emerged from her office three hours later having completed all her paperwork, even coming up with a possible idea for a heist that would net the transgenics some invaluable supplies.

"Hey Dix, I've got a few things to do around T.C.; buzz me if ya need."

"Sure thing Max."

Max had decided to spend the rest of the morning checking in on all aspects of T.C. So far they had managed to survive from day to day, but now they needed to prepare for the future. She needed to know how they were coping as a city. Lately she had been getting this unsettling feeling that something bad was coming. She wasn't sure if it was her overactive imagination, but she had this sense of urgency to ensure that T.C. was fully prepared for any possible scenario. She needed to know what she still needed to do to secure everyone's future.

Max wandered down to an old office building on the east side of T.C. She'd put Joshua and a team of transgenics in charge of accommodation. Vince, a reptile like transhuman was T.C.'s personnel and accommodation officer, and he kept track of Terminal City's burgeoning population. Any new transgenics to the city were to report to him, and he would ensure suitable accommodation was found and refurbished. They had been hard at work since the siege began, trying to provide for the dozens of transgenics that continued to flow into the city to seek refuge; and Max wanted to see firsthand how things were going.

"Heya, Big Fella. Vince. How are things goin'?"

"Well they could be better, Max," Vince replied after a slight hesitation. Max simply raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for him to elaborate.

"We're managing for now…just…but if we get a sudden influx of people we'll be in trouble. We just can't renovate rooms fast enough, and we're running out of furnishings."

"Leave it with me, I'll sort something out," she said confidently, flipping her hair over her shoulder; yet without a clue as to how she was actually going to do it. "Thanks guys, I'll see ya later."

"See ya Lil' Fella," Joshua waved with a smile.

Next Max made her way over to T.C.'s medical centre. She wanted to find out exactly how well they were functioning and what possible problems they might run into.

"Hey Elle, ya got a minute?" Max asked the raven hared X-6 from the doorway.

"For our fearless leader, anything," Eloisa smiled teasingly. Those closest to Max liked to tease her about her position as leader – Max only let a select few get away with it though.

"I just came down to find out how we're situated – medically speaking. How are we coping?"

"So far we've coped well with everything that's come up. Mind you, we haven't seen any life threatening injuries, they've all been relatively minor resulting from work related injuries, fights or seizures. Like I said, all relatively minor. But if we get a serious case I doubt we'd manage. We need more of everything from bandaids to morphine and heart-rate monitors."

"I figured as much," Max said, sounding weary.

"Sorry Max, I know it's not what you want to hear," the X-5 said regrettfully.

"Not particularly, but it's what I expected. Keep me updated, and if you could write me a wish list that would be great, so I know what's a priority."

"You got it Max. It'll be on your desk by the close of business today."

Max gave a sad little chuckle and a shake of her head. "At this rate there won't be a close of business for the next four years."

oOoOoOoOo

After paying visits to the transgenics in charge of amenities, armaments and general supplies, Max made her way over to the Mess Hall. Of all the conversations she had to have today, this was the one she was looking forward to least. Food was almost the most difficult to procure and definitely the most difficult the smuggle into T.C., and they had an ever increasing need for it as T.C.'s population multiplied.

As she walked into the Mess Hall Max realised she probably hadn't come at the best time. Lunch was being served and there was a large number of transgenics lining up for whatever inedible concoction was on offer. Max waded through them towards the head of the line and Morris, head 'chef'.

"Hey ya Morris, how's things?" Max asked the bat-like transhuman.

"Max, just because you're the leader of this dump and rule us with an iron fist, don't mean you get to push in," he teased as he continued to dish out mashed potato onto the plates that were thrust in front of him by the passing line.

"Can I borrow you for a sec for business?"

"Sure Max. HAL!" Morris bellowed over his shoulder, before turning back and giving Max 'the eye'. "Come take over. I have an important meeting with a beautiful lady." Max just chuckled and shook her head in amusement at his antics; he was always an incorrigible flirt.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec had been searching everywhere for Max, but he was always one step behind her. He'd been able to trace where she'd been, but never managed to catch up with her. It was lunch time and he was determined to make sure that she was abiding by the rules. As a last ditch attempt, and the last place he had to look, he strode into the Mess Hall and joined the queue; which was by now reasonably short seeing as lunch was nearly over.

"Anyone seen Max?" He asked everyone who passed.

"Hey Hal, how's it hangin'?" Alec greeted, as he reached the front of the queue with his plate.

"Pretty good Alec, same old same old."

"Hey, you haven't seen Max by any chance?" he asked casually, as Hal slopped something brown onto his plate.

"Sure have." Hal continued to fill the plates that filed past him.

"Well?" Alec finally had to ask, as Hal failed to realise that Alec clearly wanted a more all encompassing answer.

"She's in the back with Morris. Been there a while too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, that's what I just said Alec," Hal huffed, slightly offended he wasn't believed.

"Rhetorical question Hal, rhetorical question," Alec muttered, slapping the transhuman on the back as he stepped behind the rotisserie and headed into the bowels of the kitchen. Alec's interest was piqued. He told himself that he only wanted to make sure that she had eaten lunch, but in all truthfulness anything concerning Max captured his attention. And the way in which Hal had made that last comment…

He moved quietly, listening for sounds of Max, trying to block out the banging and chattering from outside. He didn't want to alert Max to his presence because he hadn't decided if he wanted to confront her, all he really wanted to do was some reconnaissance.

His sensitive hearing picked up light chatter coming from the back of the kitchen, and was that… _a giggle?_ He stuck his head around the door and peered in, careful to keep himself concealed. He could see Morris leaning casually up against a table in the middle of the room, and opposite him sat Max, cross-legged on the counter top. He could hear Morris telling a story about some X-8's and the trouble they'd gotten into the week before. He saw Max smiling at the tail, giving Morris her undivided attention; and as he came to the end of the story she laughed at the punch line, her eyes sparkling. Alec realised how little she did that simple act of laughing, and he was glad that someone else could inspire it in her, even if it wasn't him.

"You know, you have the nicest laugh. You should do it more often," Morris commented, in synch with Alec's own thoughts.

"Thanks. I'll try and remember that," Max said sincerely as she slipped to the floor. "I'll come by tomorrow to run an idea past you, see if you like it."

"What is it? Come on, give me a hint!" Morris pleaded.

Alec looked on, surprised as Max closed the space between them and lent up and whispered something in Morris's ear. She looked so relaxed and... unburdened. Alec wondered how the transhuman had managed to get Max do that, to be so open. He'd give anything to have Max look at him with anything other than distaste and whisper something into _his_ ear.

"Ooo, I like it!" Morris gasped, his eyes sparkling.

"Thought you might," Max replied, a sly smile on her face. "Thanks for lunch," she said over her shoulder with a wave, as she strode from the room.

Alec breathed a sigh of relief as she exited through the door at the opposite end of the room as Morris proceeded to pick up a discarded plate and rinse it off in the sink.

"You know it's considered the height of rudeness to spy," Morris said, his back still turned to the empty room.

Alec scanned the room quickly, trying to ascertain if it were him that had been discovered so easily and cursed himself for neglecting the fact that Morris was part bat, making him capable of detecting objects in a room ultrasonically. He had been so focussed on Max he hadn't really thought.

"Did you want anything in particular, Alec?"

Alec stepped into the room and chuckled, embarrassed that he had been sprung. "Ah, I was just looking for Max," he said rubbing the back of his neck a little guiltily.

"What were you _really_ looking for?"

"Nothing, just trying to catch up with her about something," he replied coolly, portraying an aura of innocence.

"Well, you've let her get away now," Morris commented dryly.

"Yeah, better go catch up with her. Thanks, Morris," Alec said hastily, making his way towards the door Max had just exited through. As he got to the doorway he turned, remembering something. "Hey Morris, did Max eat lunch?"

Morris looked at Alec knowingly. "No one likes to find out the people they care most about are sneaking around behind their backs, Alec. Even if they do only have their best interests at heart. Be careful whatever you're playing at doesn't blow up in your face," Morris warned the X-5 sagely.

* * *

**A/N:** Heya guys! Just wanted to thank all of you who have been nice enough to review. More Max/Alec shenanigans next chapter!


	7. A Cornered Cat

**A/N:** This chapter really gave me a hard time and I am still not convinced that I got it right, but it was sending me insane so in the end I had to just post it to get rid of it. Please feel free to criticise.

* * *

**A Cornered Cat**

Later that afternoon while sitting in his office, Alec weighed up Morris's words. He knew going into this that he might destroy the most important friendship he had, but Alec was convinced that as long as he could get Max to start looking after herself properly, then no matter what else happened it would all be worth it. He was also trying hard not to think about what his life would be like without Max's friendship in it anymore, because the thought was slightly terrifying - until he remembered the blinding panic that had assaulted him when he thought she might be dead. Anything was better than that. And if this was the only way that she was going to let him help her, then so be it.

Besides, Alec was sure that it would all work out in the end. After all, they had become pretty close the last couple of months, fighting the good fight side by side. Sure, she'd probably be mad for a little while, but after that she'd come to her senses and she'd realise that he had only ever done this because he truly cared about her, right? Alec chuckled out loud at that wayward thought. Max being rational, and sane, and logical? Never!

Nope, he knew how this was probably gonna play out, and it wasn't going to be pretty. He knew that in the end he was just going to have to fight really hard to stop her from cutting him out of her life. He wasn't sure it was a fight that he was capable of winning, but he certainly wasn't going to give in easily - her friendship meant too much to him.

There was a very small light at the end of this tunnel though. For some reason that Alec didn't understand, Max often let him get away with things she wouldn't let other people get away with. Although it was also true that she held grudges against him like no one else as well – like the cure thingy. If that had been anyone else she would have forgiven them – but not him.

But then again how many dumb, stupid things had he done in the past that she'd forgiven him for? Sure, she chewed him out about them for appearances sake, but on the whole she let them all slide and still trusted him with her back, and as her unofficial Second In Command. Alec just couldn't tell whether this was going to be one of the things Max thought was grudge worthy, or just some dumb, stupid prank.

oOoOoOoOo

Max spent the rest of the afternoon locked in her office trying to solve the cities chronic supply crisis; only leaving to ask Luke or Dix to download maps and intel. As the hours ran into each other and she poured over endless pieces of paper, Max felt the burdens of T.C. weighing down on her. She had prioritised T.C.'s needs, knowing food and medical supplies needed to be acquired within the next couple of days; and that weapons, ammunition, furniture, fuel and clothing would be needed in the next week or so.

So far she had come up with a solution to their food shortage, the only issue being the most effective way to smuggle it into T.C. without detection once it had been jacked. She also realised that she was on a very tight deadline, the trucks she was planning on 'acquiring' leaving for their delivery in the early hours of tomorrow, giving her less than twelve hours to pull this all together.

"Hey Luke, can you get me the floor plans for that office building next to the Mess Hall, and the tall one next to it outside the perimeter," she called as she walked out of her office.

"Sure thing Max, any reason?"

"Just working on an idea," she replied vaguely, with a coy smile. Luke didn't press her, knowing Max well enough by now to know she would only share once she had all the bugs worked out.

"Can you also find out where Metro Medical get all their deliveries from; what time they arrive; and from where?"

"No problem. Might take twenty minutes?"

"Just get them when you can," she said, turning around and walking back into her office. Max finally felt like she was getting somewhere. She was in the 'zone', and if she didn't get interrupted she thought she might just be able to come up with a solution for most of T.C.'s troubles by the end of the night.

At that moment Alec strode into H.Q., all determined and business-like, not pausing for an instant as he closely followed Max's retreating form right back into her office. Max spun around quickly to find out who had dared be so presumptuous, only to find her nose centimetres from a familiar heavily muscled, grey-clad chest. She froze for a second before taking a retreating step backwards, hastily turning her back on him and moving to put her desk between them.

Max could already feel some of her control slip just being so close to Alec in the same room, and she wanted to try and strengthen her resolve as much as possible - and right now the more space she could put between them the better. It was just a pity that she only had a desk at her disposal, instead of something slightly larger... like an ocean.

"What'd ya want, Alec? I'm busy." Max knew instantly that she was in big trouble. Alec was clearly here to make her life hell again – he was gonna try and make her do something that she didn't want to – and she wasn't in the right frame of mind to deal with him now. She was under too much pressure, too stressed, too tired, and she knew she didn't have the restraint she needed to deal with him now. They were gonna have a fight – she just knew it.

"I've come to get you for dinner."

"Don't start this shit again," she said, looking up and meeting his gaze unflinchingly as she flipped her hair behind her shoulder, deciding she was too preoccupied with business to mess about with him again. She wasn't tippy-toeing around him this time.

"I thought I made myself embarrassingly clear yesterday," Alec said conversationally, a hint of humour underlying his voice as he raised a lazy eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, everything except the rationality of this little torture technique of yours," Max retorted, arching an eyebrow of her own in reply. "As much as I'd like to indulge you and play this little game, I'm in the middle of trying to save T.C. from starving. So if you don't mind, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out," she said, waving her hand dismissively at the door as she went back to looking at a sheet of paper on her desk.

Max didn't know why she had been having these weird reactions to Alec lately, but she was sure that this time she could handle them...and him. Now that she was aware of what her reactions were likely to be, she could monitor them and manage them accordingly. She wouldn't be caught off guard this time.

"_No _cheating. _No_ exceptions." Alec ground out, all humour and patience evaporating.

"I don't have time for your bullshit right now, Alec," Max replied in exasperation, starting to yell as she let her anger get the better of her. "When will you learn that not every problem and drama has to be personally contributed to by you!"

"And when will _you_ learn that not every problem and drama excludes being personally contributed to by you!" he bellowed right back at her.

Both transgenics stood opposite each other with only the desk seperating them, their chests heaving from their outbursts, and the air around them thick with tension. They remained where they were, not moving, eyes locked in battle as their breathing slowly returned to normal. Alec was the first to break the stalemate.

"T.C. can wait twenty minutes while you have dinner, Max." Alec struggled to sound calm; cleanching and unclenching his fists in a bid to lose some of the tension from his frame, but the vein on the side of his corded neck still bulged, a testiment to his agitation.

"No it can't," she said distractedly, finding the document she was looking for and sinking back into her chair.

"Yes, it can," Alec growled. "Dix said twenty minutes. Now come on," he commanded, leaning both hands on her desk, his face now only inches from hers, pinning her with a steely gaze. He wasn't gonna take this shit from her. He was going to make her take him seriously.

"Fuck off Alec, you don't know what you're talking about," weariness crept into her voice as she turned back to the pages on her desk to begin working out heists for the less urgent items. Max was desperately hoping that if she stopped acknowledging his existence, he would simply disappear.

Alec saw red. Whether it was her unreasonable behaviour, or her casual dismissal of him that tipped him over the edge he wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to let her get away with it any longer. He was around her desk in one stride, yanking her out of her chair by the shoulders and pushing her roughly against the wall, pinning her with his superior strength.

Max's head was spinning. One minute she was sitting at her desk, and the next she was pressed against a hard wall and a very warm Alec.

"Get the hell off me!" she spat, giving Alec a violent shove. But to her surprise she barely made an impact, Alec's grip not slackening for an instant. He smirked down knowingly at her, his eyes sparkling as he watched the realisation dawn. He knew she had no idea about his true strength.

"Give it up Max, you're not going anywhere except dinner."

Max struggled with more fervour but couldn't dislodge him. Alec let her struggle against him for a moment to demonstrate exactly how out gunned she really was, but he soon tired of it – her squirming was getting pleasantly distracting. He quickly spun her around in his arms, grabbed her left arm and twisted it up painfully behind her back and pushed her face into the wall, his knee slipping intimately between her legs, pinning her with the weight of his body.

"Last warning Max," he breathed seductively into her ear, his body pressed firmly up against her back. "Accompany me down to the Mess calmly, or I'll arrange for us to make a more…memorable entrance," he threatened with a smirk, and a husky chuckle into her ear.

Max gave an involuntary shiver as his chuckle reverberated through his chest and into her back. She licked her lips and tried not to think about leaning back into him further - because she had this crazy impulse to do just that. Instead she forced herself to stand still, pinned against the wall, while she tried to decide what course of action she should take. She wanted to fight him - there was no way she was going to allow him to win - but at the moment she was at a bit of a strategic disadvantage, and she couldn't see a way to dislodge him. Should she fight him…or should…maybe she could…if she…he would…

URGH!! Would he just get off her so she could think! She _needed_ him to get off her…now! All she could feel was his hot breath caressing her neck and his hard body lean into her more heavily, making her heart race and her mind cloud. And dammit! It was happening, again. And that voice - well it was more like a ghost of a voice - but it was whispering thoughts to her again; and it kept drawing her attention to the muscle clad thigh pressed between her own. Making her focus on feelings that she shouldn't be having – not about Alec.

As a tactician, Alec knew he had to win the first battle and plant that seed of self-doubt in Max's mind if he were going to have a hope of out manoeuvring her in the long run. He needed to keep her off balance, and second guessing herself and him. That is why he had decided to be so heavy handed so early on. He wanted her to be wary, to realise that he was in fact much stronger than her, and that if she pushed him too hard he could physically subdue her.

Alec watched as Max waged an inner battle trying to decide what she should do. It brought a sly smile to his face knowing that he could cause her such indecisiveness. Clearly she wasn't accustomed to being in a position where she couldn't find an escape. He relished the fact that he had the power to affect her, even if it was only confusion and wariness. Hell, he'd take whatever attention he could get from her. But what astounded him most was how quickly he saw submission and defeat flash through her eyes – and he wasn't about to wait for her to change her mind.

"Come on Maxie," he purred into her ear, causing his body to press even more heavily into her softer one. "Twenty minutes. It'll be over before you know it." Max swore that she could now _definately_ feel the outline of every muscle in Alec's very well defined chest pressing into her back - she thought she might even be able to name them all anatomically from this position.

And then at the very edges of her consciousness Max felt Alec suddenly step to the side and grab her upper arm, before steering her out of her office and in the direction of dinner. But her mind was lost in a heavy snow storm. All she could concentrate on was the memory of the way his body felt pressed hotly into hers, and the way her treacherous body had replied in answer. And that evil little voice was still whispering that twenty minutes would _not come close_ to being long enough for the things _it_ had planned. Max was so caught up in her confusion that she didn't even realise Alec was steering her through headquarters, or the stares they received from those they passed.

What was wrong with her, she asked herself yet again? This was NOT her. She was not acting like herself. She - Max Guevera - did not have a physical and psychological meltdown at a few admitedly perfect abs. Looking like she did, Max was used to being approached by perfect looking abs all the time, and she had never, _n-e-v-e-r_, almost spontaneously combust at just the _thought_ of them. What was happening to her? She knew she wasn't in heat, Manticore had cured that little conundrum for her. So what was causing this reaction?

Maybe she had the flu? It could happen, right? She had caught an Alec flu. Maybe it was some wacked out Manitcore thing, where to ensure that her life was truely miserable, she had caught some disease from Alec that made him irresistable to her. Or maybe it was something she ate...

As Alec led Max towards Mess a small spark of doubt and worry began to smoulder in his mind. Something was still wrong with Max, because she should never have submitted to him this easily and then allowed him to manhandle her this way, and in public! He glanced sideways at her and saw her deep in thought.

Max was vaguely aware of the fact that she was being propelled along, but all she could concentrate on was the way Alec's shoulder casually brushed against hers, and the spark of electricity that coursed through her. She could feel his strong fingers firmly griping her arm; and in the back of her mind she wondered when she had become so aware of Alec on a physical level?

As he led her through the door Alec steered Max to the front of the line, he knew she would soon snap out of this funk and he wasn't going to allow her any opportunity to bolt. He caught Morris' eye and held up two fingers. Two plates were promptly fetched, Alec put one into Max's hand to carry before taking her arm again and steering her towards the end of an empty table. He watched her for a moment as she sat there starring at a point on the floor, obviously lost in her own head.

"Come on Maxie, eat something," Alec cajoled softly, as he started on his own plate. The sound of his voice seemed to pull Max out of her thoughts; bewilderment at her surroundings flashing briefly across her face as she turned and picked up her fork and began absently pushing food around her plate.

Max felt her heart race in panic as she returned to her senses. This was serious. Much more serious than she had originally thought. What was he _doing_ to her?

"Max are you okay?"

"I'm always okay," she replied bitingly, still refusing to look up from her plate.

"URGH! You're so frustrating!" Alec snapped uncharacteristically, banging his palm loudly on the table, making Max jump slightly in shock, along with those closest to them.

"Right back at ya," she replied as she put a forkful into her mouth and gave him a sardonic grimace, suddenly enjoying their role reversal.

"Come one Max, let me help," Alec said seriously, regaining his composure. "You're obviously not alright." Max distractedly wondered if Alec could see the irony in this conversation as clearly as she could.

"You want me to let you help?" Max asked sarcastically, putting down her fork, giving him her full attention. "When so far your idea of helping is to kidnap me, force feed me, and waste time when I should be trying to stop T.C. from starving - because this opportunity is only happening in a few hours, otherwise we have to wait three weeks for the next truck, and we might starve by then! So yeah Alec, you can help," her voice getting louder and shriller as she stood up, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she death-stared him. "Stay out of my way, and stay out of my life. Your twenty minutes are up," she snapped coldly, turning on her heel and stalking out of the room.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec remained at the table, pushing his food around his plate, his appetite having deserted him. He didn't know what to do. When he had started out on this little venture he knew Max would fight him, but he didn't think it would be this hard. Her words played over in his head, and they hurt. He was only trying to look out for her because he cared, and now he didn't know what to do. He knew that the supply situation wasn't as dire as she had made out, and he wasn't sure why she was freaking out about it so much. He thought he knew her, knew how to read her, knew what she needed even if she couldn't see it - but now he wasn't so sure anymore. He had no idea what was going on with her. What was causing this paranoia?

"Alec need a friend?" Joshua asked as he stood in front of Alec's table.

"Yeah, sure Josh. I could use all the friends I can get," he replied dejectedly, feeling a little sorry for himself.

"Max doesn't mean it. Lil' Fella like a cornered cat. She get scared and angry, hsst!" Joshua said quietly, trying to make his friend see.

"More like a rabid sabre tooth tiger." Alec muttered to himself. "So what do I do?"

"Two choices. Don't make Lil' Fella feel cornered," Josh said as he took a mouthful of food.

"And the second?" Alec prompted genuinely interested; he knew how insightful his friend could be.

"Block exits. Make sure she can't escape. Show her there's nothing to be scared of," he replied simply.

"How do I do that Josh? This is Max, she always finds an escape. She's a pro, she's had ten years practice."

"Alec smart. Alec find a way. Lil' Fella easy to read with practise. Trust yourself."

"Maybe, Josh. Maybe," Alec replied, not entirely convinced.

oOoOoOoOo

By the time Max had made her way back to her office she had pretty much managed to calm down. She was still annoyed at Alec over his little stunt, but mostly she was angry at herself for her lack of coherent thought in his presence. Why hadn't she been able to stop him? But she didn't need to ponder that question too hard. She already knew the answer. It was because all she could concentrate on was how easily he had been able to pin her to that wall, and how much she had liked the feel of his warm, hard body pressed up against hers. She gave a frustrated growl, she was getting hot just thinking about it.

The only thing that made this whole thing bearable was the fact that she _knew_ she didn't want Alec in _that_ way. Well okay she did, but only because she was frustrated. How long had it been again? And Alec was just there all smooth lines and hard plains…

She suddenly realised with startling horror that she had become one of those creatures – that which she despised and had always loathed. This was her greatest fear realised – not capture, not reindoctrination, not anomalies in the basement - but bimbo's. Overnight she had devolved into a hormonal, breathy, weak-kneed, air-headed bimbo! And not just any bimbo - but a breathy, weak-kneed, air-headed _Alec_ bimbo! How could this _happen?_ And to her of all people!

How was she supposed to win this idiotic game if she turned to a puddle of hormonal slush every time he got within two feet of her? She just thanked someone's God that Alec hadn't yet worked out the affect his physical proximity could have on her.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so I have pre-written random chapters of things that I want to happen between these two - both in terms of 'the game' and their relationship - but I don't have it all worked out yet, there are still gaping holes. So before I try to work it all out it my head, if anyone has a suggestion or comment please let me know - I need a little direction. If you have a scenario in mind I'd love to hear it and I'll try and incorporate it (not promising tho), and if you have a comment on my writing style I'd also really like to hear it. Do I do something annoying? Not enough of something? Too much? All comments appreciated!


	8. Men, So Predictable

**FYI -** I am an Aussie, so if I use a funny term or something is spelt strange, it's cause that's how we do it downunder.

* * *

**Men, So Predictable...**

A few hours later Max was just going over the last minute details for the food heist with Luke and Dix. She had only allowed herself twenty minutes to have a nervous breakdown in her office over the 'Alec incident' and what she had become…she still shuddered just at the thought of the 'B' word and it applying to her. Maybe there was a bimbo inoculation? She really should look into that…

But she knew that she had to get her head back in the game because T.C.'s future was riding on this…on her. Max also knew that there was almost no way that she was going to be allowed to leave Alec's ass behind on this one, after all they were pretty much unspoken partners when it came to committing felonies. And to be honest she really didn't want to do this without him – he was the only one that she truly trusted to have her back. She'd much rather take him with her than risk something going awry, and losing this heist. She was just gonna have to suck it up and keep her mind on the truck…and _only_ on the truck.

Plus, she was pretty sure that he wouldn't pull anything on the heist. She had to grudgingly admit that Alec always put T.C. before anything else, and she didn't think that this little battle of wills they were currently having was gonna be any different. She was pretty sure that she was safe from further humiliation – as long as he didn't accidentally get too close…

As he walked towards Headquarters, Alec decided that maybe he had come on a little strong. In all fairness Max was pretty stressed, and until she decompressed a little he knew that he wouldn't be getting anywhere except to add to her burdens, and that was the last thing that he wanted. He knew that the best way he could help her right now was to make sure that this heist went off without a hitch. They could talk about the rest later…

"How's it goin'?" Alec asked, as he crossed the room and came to stand right behind Max. He lent over her like he so often did when he wanted to look over her shoulder.

Max was immediately aware of exactly how closely behind her Alec was standing, and had to fight the urge to squirm. He had her trapped against the desk, Dix and a wall of muscled chest.

"Looks good, can't see why there should be any major problems," Dix returned.

"Good. I've got the troops on their way now. We'll move out in ten," Max said, jumping on the opportunity to try and extract herself. "You want in?" she asked, turning to face Alec's…chest. She swallowed heavily as she ripped her eyes away and up into his dancing hazel eyes.

"Need you ask?" he admonished with a genuine smile.

oOoOoOoOo

As Max crouched uncomfortably in the darkness all she could concentrate on was Alec's fidgeting.

"Would you quit it!" she hissed, her eyes shooting daggers at him in the dark.

"What?" he asked indignantly.

"What are you, like five? Quit the jiggling!"

"Why are you always picking on me? I'm not hurting anyone," he said a little miffed. "It helps, okay."

"With what?" she said, incredulous.

"Expending excess energy."

"Well your incessant twitching is distracting."

"Well Max, you could always offer to help a guy out." Alec suggested, and although she wasn't looking at him Max knew his eyes were twinkling with mischief the way they always did when he was using that teasing tone with her. "I'm sure together we could come up with far more interesting ways to help me expend my excess energy..." he promised with a deep chuckle.

"Why you--"

"Max…" Alec whispered, suddenly serious.

"-- self-appreciating--"

"Max, listen."

"-- conceited, arrogant, little--"

"Max!" Alec snapped, his arm snaking around her waist, pulling her off balance to practically sit in his lap, while his other hand clamped down over her mouth, stemming her torrent of words. "The truck's here," he whispered into her neck, his warm breath caressing her skin. As Max tore her attention away from where his strong arm clamped around her waist just under her breasts, and onto the distant rumbling of a truck, she nodded numbly.

"Lets go," he said, as he released his hold on her and helped her to her feet, pushing her towards the road and grinning like a proud parent. "Go get 'im Tiger!"

oOoOoOoOo

"I can't believe I'm doing this _again_," Max muttered to herself as she stuck out her hip and plastered on a seductive smile. "I _hate_ this part."

As she was momentarily blinded by the headlights of the truck Max heard it begin to brake. "Men, s_o_ predictable..." she muttered as the truck rumbled to a stop right beside her, and the door swung open.

"Heya honey, need Joe to give ya a lift some place?" the flabby truckie asked, his little dark eyes roving hungrily over Max's figure.

"Could you? Cause that would be _soooo_ dope!" Max simpered, tipping her head to the side.

"Sure honey, Joe'll give you the ride of your life," he promised lecherously, as Max hoisted herself into the cabin gracefully. "So what's a pretty lil' thing like you doin' all the way out here?" he asked, as he concentraited on pulling the truck back onto the road with a shudder.

"My boyfriend was annoying the crap out of me, so I ditched his sorry ass," Max replied sweetly, batting her eye lashes as she realised how close to the truth that statement really was.

"What a loser, upsetting such a pretty lil' thing. You don't have to worry about Joe, I'll make sure you're nothing _but_ happy sweet-cheeks," the sweaty trucker promised, placing a hot hand above Max's knee, and giving it a squeeze. Max tried to suppress a shiver of revulsion - for which the trucker mistook for a shudder of another kind.

"Howz about Joe pulls over and we get to know each other a lil better," he said, frantically hurrying to pull the rig over whilst trying not to take his eyes off Max.

"Y'know, I'd rather you didn't. It's gonna take all the fun out of it," Max replied sassily as Jo crawled towards her, desire in his eyes. "You really don't want to do this… it's going to be bad for your health," Max warned calmly, despite her eagerness to teach him a very painful lesson.

"Oh, but I'm going to enjoy it," he panted as he ran a hand up Max's thigh and leaned in, intending to slobber all over her neck.

"So am I," Max replied in her usual bad-ass manner, all sweetness gone as her arm came back ready to send 'Joe' into oblivion. But suddenly he disappeared from in front of her. As she looked out his now open driver-side door she saw him sprawled unconscious on the ground. It had been so quick that she had barely seen it happen.

"Now Max," Alec's smooth voice drifted towards her, as he casually stepped in front of Joe's unconscious form, "now is no time for pleasure. We have work to do."

"You just took all the pleasure out of it," Max grumbled. "I wanted to be the one to beat on his ass, seeing as it was _me_ he just felt up," she huffed at him, folding her arms across her chest. She was trying _really_ hard to behave herself, and not take advantage of the perfect opportunity now afforded her to run her eyes over him. Alec was standing just the right distance away in the moonlight, so that from her position in the truck it only took a tiny flick of her eyes for them to travel down from his face, across the black turtle-neck that highlighted his broad chest and down to those lean hips and muscled thighs…

"Someone has to defend your honour, Max… and besides, you looked like you were enjoying it way too much. I didn't want you and _'Joe',_ to get too carried away and ruin the mission...sweet-cheeks," he said smirking up at her – he was obviously enjoying this way too much.

"Shut-up asshole!"

"That's the most action you've had in how long, Max?" Alec asked, blinking innocently and trying to wind her up. However, he had no idea that Max now found his faux innocence adorable.

"Just get your ass in here and let's go… before I actually _do _leave your annoying ass behind," Max said exasperated, knowing that her encounter with 'Joe' had just given Alec enough ammo against her for the next three months – he wasn't going to be letting that one go anytime soon.

Alec gave a chuckle and gracefully sprang into the cabin, closing the door and starting up the rig, pulling it back onto the road and towards T.C.

"And next time you're the bait," Max complained, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm sick of having to let guys clamber all over me," the memory of the truckies hot hand on her leg making Max's face contort in disgust. "Who knows where that pervert's been!"

"Come on Max, I would have thought you'd be use to it by now. Guys are always trying to paw you." Max gave Alec a _'what-have-you-been-smoking'_ look. "Come on Max, you're gorgeous," Alec said in exasperation shaking his head, assuming she was just being difficult as per usual. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed that when you walk into a room every eye turns to you, the men in awe and the women in jealousy?"

"You're delusional," Max replied, turning to look self-consciously out the window, refusing to meet his eye.

Alec stole a sideways glance at Max and realised how uncomfortable this subject was making her. She refused to look at him, her brows knitted together, and she was shifting in her seat uncomfortably, her fingers twisted in the hem of her shirt.

"You really don't like seeing yourself like that do you, Max? People looking at you like that, it makes you uncomfortable." Alec asked gently, genuinely intrigued, both at her feelings and at the fact that he had never worked that out about her before now. He knew that she was modest about her physical appearance, never liking anyone to make a fuss over it, but he had never suspected that she actually had issues about it.

"It shouldn't matter what I look like," Max said, still staring out the passenger-side window. "Besides, I'm nothing special. It's not like it's natural beauty. Manticore created it. We were all designed to be…like this," she said, waving her hand up and down in front of her body, indicating herself.

"But Max, even by Manticore standards you're exceptional. Or is that the problem?" Alec asked quietly, "It reminds you of where you came from. That you're not like everyone else?"

"Is that how your looks make you feel, Alec? I think you're projecting," she replied stiffly, intensely uncomfortable with the subject, and Alec's sharp observations.

"They do remind me that I'm different. Superior. But I embrace that. It's one of the few things that Manicore gave me that makes my life a little easier on the outside." Alec replied honestly. "People respond positively towards us because we're beautiful. It greases the wheels, so to speak."

"It greases something," Max muttered under her breath, her eyes widening as she suddenly realised what she had just let slip. Damn! She really should remember to turn that filter on sometime...

Alec threw back his head and let out a deep, throaty chuckle, "Well there are perks..." he said, grinning wickedly.

"And I bet you take advantage of them _all_," Max teased, a small knowing smile playing on her lips. She was enjoying this relaxed, light moment they were sharing, something they hadn't had it a while.

"I could introduce you to some," Alec offered, a dangerous glint in his eye that promised so much.

"I might catch something," Max returned disdainfully.

Alec turned his head to look at her, he was trying to gauge whether she was serious or not. And she looked to be…until she suddenly looked right at him and gave him a brilliant smile, making him laugh deeply again.

oOoOoOoOo

They parked the truck inside a tall debilitated building that sat outside T.C.'s boarders. From there they would be able to carry the supplies up to the roof and then swing them across via a pulley system to the roof of a building that sat within T.C. and next to the Mess Hall.

As Max and Alec both gracefully jumped from the cabin and made their way down the side of the semi and wrenched open the back doors, a dozen or so transgenics emerged from the shadows like an invisible army.

"Right, lets get moving people, we've only got a couple of hours till the sun's up, and we've still got to lose this truck someplace," Max bellowed to the congregating transgenics, spurring them into action.

For the next two hours they worked tirelessly, carrying the supplies up six flights of stairs to where a pulley system had been set up on the roof, and connected to the roof of one of the buildings within T.C. where another team of transgenics were waiting to receive them.

As they watched the last box of supplies fly through the night air and land safely within the borders of T.C. a smile spread across every transgenics face.

"Okay everyone, good job," Max congratulated. "Now back inside the fence." She didn't want to take the chance that anyone would be discovered outside T.C.; they could not afford for their cover to be blown.

As they stood next to the now empty truck and watched as the transgenics melted back into the darkness from where they had appeared Alec turned to Max, "Hey, I can ditch the truck if you've got other things on?"

"And let you have all the fun? Hell no!" she smiled, as she jumped back into the cabin. Alec gave a chuckle and followed her lead. Neither one of them was quiet ready to go back to lockdown... or what it meant.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews. I know not that much happened this chapter, but it is a means to an end.


	9. Silent Rebellion

**Silent Rebellion**

Over the next two nights the transgenics pulled three more jobs, managing to acquire many of the most important necessities.

"Hey, nice work guys," Luke congratulated Max and Alec as they strode into H.Q after the last job. "Have any problems?"

"Nah man, it's all good," Alec replied jovially, swinging his arms backward and forwards in a manner that suggested his adrenaline was still pumping and that he had no other way of expending it.

"Everything being unloaded?" Max asked Dix.

"As we speak."

"Excellent. Time for bed," Alec stated genuinely tired, as he slung an arm over Max's shoulder. None of them had received much sleep in the last three days as they planned and executed these heists. Alec had only managed about three hours over the last three nights, and he suspected that Max had caught exactly none. She had planned, organised, co-ordinated and executed every heist. She had made all the pretences of going to bed - mostly because he had given her a steely glare - but he had it on good authority that she'd worked through out.

After their last little scuffle Alec had decided to call a timeout on _'the rules'_, just for the time being – although he had not informed Max of that fact, she just thought that he was failing to enforce them. Instead Alec had decided to give her the time she needed to set T.C. up how she wanted. Alec knew how to pick his fights, and he knew there was no real use going to war with Max over her own personal welfare while she was flipping out about the poor state of T.C.'s resources. He knew there was another confrontation brewing – a much bigger one this time – and he didn't want her to have any excuse for her non-compliance. He was blocking all exits.

"You coming, Max?" Alec enquired, hoping he came off sounding disinterested but too tired to go about it any more stealthily.

"Ah…" Max stalled, shrugging his arm off her. She did not want to give into him, knowing exactly what Alec was up to. He was trying to manipulating her again. She didn't want him to think that he could control her through intimidation, but to be truthful she was too tired to be bothered with a full blown battle of wills with him. And she would go to bed eventually… but not now, not until _she_ was ready. She still had a few loose ends that she wanted to tie up before bed. In that instant she decided against a direct challenge, but instead chose to settle for a silent rebellion. "Sure, I'm kinda beat."

"I'll walk you," Alec offered, thankful that for once Max was being reasonable.

"Well, I'll see ya tomorrow," Alec said awkwardly, shoving his hands into his pockets as they stood outside her door. "Or should I say, later today," he corrected with a smile, noting that it was actually in the early hours of the morning.

"Yeah, night," Max replied quietly, as she opened her door and disappeared inside.

oOoOoOoOo

As she stepped out of the shower, Max felt a little more relaxed and very relieved. She hadn't admitted it to anyone else, but she had been really worried that she wouldn't be able to procure all the supplies that T.C. needed. When it had just been her for all those years she had pretty much lived by the motto of, _'she'll be right'_. She didn't plan or worry about things until absolutely necessary, trusting that things would all work out okay in the end. But now that she had hundreds of others depending on her, she had become more paranoid, more obsessive. She couldn't afford to be blasé anymore because there were peoples lives at stake. And although they had managed it this time she was still concerned that next time they mightn't be as lucky, because it was just going to continue to get harder and harder to avoid detection.

As she slipped into a pair of sweat pants, a singlet and matching jacket, she decided to grab a cup of coffee and head back down to her office for a couple of hours to do some preliminary planning for the next food heist. She was tired, and she knew that for once she would sleep, but she just couldn't go to bed till she had done a couple more hours. She knew that it wasn't urgent anymore, but she would just feel better once she had come up with some possible solutions for the future.

As she opened her front door and stepped through it Max's face met a _very _familiar muscle bound chest, stopping her in her tracks. "Eeck!" she squeaked, jumping back in shock, her coffee slopping over her hand and onto the floor. "Shit Alec! What the fuck?" she snapped, whilst shaking the offending coffee off her hand.

"Going somewhere Max?" Alec drawled innocently, an eyebrow cocked.

"None of your damned business," she spluttered, raising herself up to her full height, chest pushed out, her most deadly glare boring into Alec's unrelenting gaze.

"You know the rules Max. I explained them so even a slow three year old could grasp the key concepts," he said, holding her openly hostile gaze unflinchingly. "I've been more than understanding with all the work that's had to be done the last couple of days. But that's over now. There's nothing urgent or life threatening that needs your attention, so now you need to start looking after yourself again. Starting by getting some sleep." Alec said, his voice softening.

"Well, you can just go get fucked Alec," she snapped vehemently, "'Cause once again, this has _nothing_ to do with you. Go torment some other poor woman for the night," she spat, attempting to step past him, but Alec slid deftly to the side preventing her exit.

"As gratifying as that sounds Max, you're the only woman I'm interested in sharing a bed with tonight," he drawled slowly, his eyes darkening dangerously as he took a deliberate step into her personal space. He now stared down at her, his warm gentle breath caressing her face as he leaned in to whisper seductively. "So you either turn around right now and go back into your room and go to sleep, or I'm going to throw you over my shoulder, toss you on that bed, and tie you to it. Your choice. And Max..." Alec chuckled darkly, "I _really_ hope you choose door number two." he drawled, a predatory gleam in his eye.

Max gulped audibly, her mouth suddenly going very dry, and while she tried to convince herself it was from horror and revulsion, the charged hum of her body told her it was more likely from anticipation.

Max took a step backwards and looked him up and down, appraising her enemy, and although for once a rational voice appeared in her head and was screaming at her that it perhaps wasn't such a good idea, she decided to call his bluff anyway. "You wouldn't daaaarrrr—"

Alec took a step forward, his eyes flaring triumphantly and he flashed a wicked grin as he reached for her, preparing to throw her over his shoulder.

"—rreeee. Ah! Okay, Okay! I'm going!" Max yelped, hastily recoiling backwards away from his grasp and towards her room, practically turning and running.

Alec chuckled softly to himself at her un-Max-like behaviour as he headed back towards the front door and shut it. He couldn't explain how he had known that Max would refuse to sleep, instead preferring to work despite not having slept in three days. He had just _known_.

He was starting to worry about what drove her to these lengths. It was almost as if some irrational fear had overcome her and was driving her to these insane lengths. She took too much on herself, taking the responsibility personally. Alec walked over to the couch in the middle of the room and dropped silently into it, making himself as comfortable as possible and within minutes was soundlessly asleep.

Max paced restlessly around her room annoyed that she had been sprung in the act of disobedience, and the fact that Alec seemed to know her so well that he had known her next move even before she did; after all she'd only just decided to go back to her office on a whim.

She knew Alec was still out there, and that he would not be leaving until he was certain that she had gone to bed and wouldn't be getting up again. Once again she was confronted by the same dilemma: confront or submit.

She was just too tired and too emotionally unstable at the moment though. She knew that if she attempted to take him on tonight that she would not come out the winner, she could just tell. For some reason that she didn't understand she had found it much harder to regulate her emotions lately. They were harder to control, harder to suppress; the reigns were slipping through her hands, and her horse was bolting.

She had felt the little chips in her façade forming the last couple of weeks - hell, they'd been forming for years, like chips on a windscreen. But today she'd felt the first hairline fracture, which was promptly followed by a second, a third and a fourth. And she knew that like a windscreen all it would take was a little pressure applied at the wrong point and the whole window would shatter.

Max flopped down onto her bed with a frustrated sigh and listened for any movement coming from her living room to give her any indication of what Alec was up to. All she could make out were the rhythmic sounds of his breathing, and as she contemplated what that sort of peace would feel like, those steady breaths, in and out, lulled her to sleep.

* * *

**A/N:** Once again thanks to all my reviewers, and if anyone has any comments or suggestions I would LOVE to hear them, good or bad!


	10. Ghosts of the Past

**Ghosts of the Past**

She was running. Running frantically through the forest, twigs breaking underfoot, branches obstructing her path, catching on her clothes and scratching at her bare skin. She had to catch him, had to stop him; she couldn't let him do this. She couldn't lose him. Not again.

She could see him ahead, caught glimpses of him through the foliage, before he would disappear again. She stopped dead in her tracks when she suddenly found herself in the middle of a clearing, and he was no where to be seen.

She scanned the forest frantically, straining her eyes and her ears in an attempt to pinpoint his location, she couldn't have lost him that easily. Could she?

Suddenly she saw him step out of the shrubbery, almost as if it had just expelled him, and stalk towards her with all the grace of a lion, and the same intent predatory eyes; and a fission of anticipatory fear raced up her spine.

"Having fun, Maxie?" he purred as he advanced on her, all controlled power.

"I've had more fun shaving my legs," she retorted with an unimpressed shrug, as she backed away from him, her eyes never leaving him.

"Don't lie Maxie. You feel it as much as I do. The thrill of the chase. The rush you get from having the life of another person in your hands, and the absolute power of gifting them with death."

"Killing someone is not a gift. What you're doing is wrong, and you have to stop. This is not who you are!" Max implored vehemently, begging him to see, to understand, and not make her do what she knew he was going to make her do in the end.

"You're wrong Max. This is who I am. This is who you are. Who we _all_ are. This is what we were designed for, what they intended for us to be, and you can't fight it. Just like you can't fight the nightmares, or the seizures, or the rush that courses uncharted through your veins every time you pull off the perfect B&E, kick someone's ass, speed through the streets on your bike… or kill."

"That's not true," Max whispered, sounding as if she weren't completely convinced her words were the truth. "That's not who I am, and that's not who _you_ are," she ground out determinedly.

"I accept who I am Max, and this is who I am. I can't help it. And it's who you are too. How many people have you killed?" he asked as he raised a quizzical eyebrow, his eyes belying the fact that he already knew the answer. "How many were people you cared about? How many did you kill unintentionally?

Max's eyes immediately flew to the ground, unable to meet his gaze, a tortured look marring her face.

"Don't you see? Even when you don't intend to kill them, you do anyway," he said gently, as if explaining it to a child. "It proves that you truly were born to do this…to _be_ this.

"No, no, no, no, no…" Max muttered over and over, shaking her head, a tear escaping down her cheek.

"Yes Max, you just need to embrace it."

"No! I'm not going to go around killing people… and neither are you," Max said as she composed herself, squaring her shoulders, her eyes once again blazing defiantly.

"Well, looks like you're gonna havta stop me Maxie…again."

Max advanced cautiously, her brain desperately trying to find a solution other than this. She did not want to have to fight him. She couldn't bare it if she hurt him. She loved him too much.

They circled each other cautiously, the tension emanating between them seeming to shrink the forest around them, leaving them as the only two beings in existence.

"You know Max, if you can't do it—"

His words were cut off as Max swung her leg in a wide arch, catching him square on the chin, snapping his head to the side. She followed swiftly with a barrage of kicks and punches, some getting through, the rest expertly blocked.

He recovered smoothly, retaliating strongly, making Max defend heavily. Max cleared her mind, focusing on the fight at hand, on him. He advanced relentlessly, not giving an inch, his eyes blank and unseeing. He no longer recognised her, set on his mission of subduing her. And it was working, she was rapidly tiring. The fight felt like it went on forever, but she knew that in reality it only lasted moments.

She flipped over his head, spinning through the air and bringing her booted foot down forcefully across his tibia and fibula. The sound of snapping bones echoed around the empty forest.

As she took a step backwards she saw him sink to the ground, his head turning to look over his shoulder at her, the eyes that only a moment ago were unseeing and emotionless were filled with fear and betrayal, and to her horror, they weren't those of the man she had just fought.

"Oh my God…?" she breathed brokenly, falling to the forest floor at his side and cradling his head in her arms as she rocked him. "What have I done?"

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean it… I'm so sorry…" she cried openly, tears streaking a wet path down her face.

"They're coming Maxie. You know what you have to do."

"I can't. I _won't_." she declared, fire in her eyes.

"You have to, there's no other way and you know it."

"No… please don't make me do it. Not again." she begged desperately, a hiccup escaping as she tried to contain her sobbing.

"You know what they'll do to me. I want you to do it Max, I _need_ you to do it. Just remember last time. It'll be just like last --" _SNAP_

Max could feel the pain and heartache overtake her as she sat there cradling his now limp body in her arms. It was so powerful that she couldn't breathe, it had literally constricted her throat and lungs. She was desperately trying to pull in air, but found herself gasping.

The pain of having killed him was tearing her apart. She was struggling frantically against whatever was holding her down, her arms and legs restrained and this weight bearing down on her chest so she couldn't breathe. She gave way to the pain-wracked sob that was trying to escape her and dissolved into a fit of hysterical sobs.

She was suddenly ripped from her nightmare by the sounds of her own sobbing. Her eyes snapped open and she instantly sucked in as much air as she could, the pressure still sitting heavily on her chest. She gasped in mouthful after mouthful, trying to quell the tight breathlessness in her chest, but found it had no effect except light-headedness, as she began to hyperventilate.

She stumbled out of bed vaguely realising that her tangled sheets were what had been responsible for restraining her in her sleep. She stood unsteadily in the middle of the room, hands on her knees, bent over, desperately trying to calm her breathing and her racing heart.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec found himself pulled from sleep by an unknown force. It took him a moment to recognise where he was, and why he was sleeping on Max's uncomfortable couch. He stilled, trying to work out what had woken him, and why his inner sense was telling him something was wrong.

Then he heard it. The soft sounds of someone rolling over in bed coming from Max's room, and then it all went quiet. She was probably still too mad with him to be able sleep, he thought with a smile as he rolled over, trying to go back to sleep.

Then he heard it again, recognising the sound that had invaded his sleep - the sounds of anguished whimpering. As he quietly got up and made his way towards Max's room, he heard a pain filled sob, and the frantic rustling of sheets.

He rushed through her door, skidding to a halt in the middle of her room his eyes focused on her empty bed. His eyes flicked to where he saw her hunched over in the shadows, bent over hyperventilating, and his heart constricted painfully at the sight of her in so much pain.

"Max, are you okay?" Alec asked, as he moved cautiously towards her.

Max looked up, shock on her face and tension in her muscles, she hadn't heard anyone enter the room. "Alec?"

"Yeah, it's me Max. What happened?" he asked, as he tentatively laid a warm hand on her back and rubbed in soothing circles to try and help her breathing.

As his hand touched her back and started its soothing motion Max managed to suck in a deep breath and release it slowly. The unexpected relief that rushed through her from that simple touch sent her reeling, and the emotions that it provoked sent her into another bout of sobbing.

"Hey, hey, hey… It's okay Max, everything is okay now, I've got you," Alec said softly as he shushed her, taking her by the arms and drawing her up, pulling her into his chest to hold her tight.

Max found that that simple act of friendship and intimacy was all it took to make her remember what she had done in her nightmare. She clung to him like she were a dying woman, burying her face in his chest as the sobs wracked her tiny frame, a wet patch steadily spreading across his shirt.

"Max, tell me what happened?" Alec asked, as he leaned back slightly to try and meet her gaze.

Max burrowed deeper into his chest hiding her face and shaking her head _'no'_.

"It's okay," Alec soothed, tightening his hold on her, one hand rubbing lazy circles across her back, the other one stroking her hair. "I just thought if you told me we could work it out together."

"You can't."

"Can't what?"

"You can't make this better Alec," she said, pulling away and meeting his gaze for the first time. "It can't be made better. Not this time," she declared brokenly, fresh tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Let me try," his eyes imploring her to relent, before he pulled her back into his chest. And she wanted to. She desperately wanted to tell him everything and let him make it all better for her like he always did. But she knew that if she told him he would never again look at her like he just had.

oOoOoOoOo

As he sat in the Mess Hall and pushed his breakfast around his plate, all Alec could think about was Max and her nightmare. Alec was no stranger to violent, terrifying dreams; but something about the way she had reacted to him when he had entered her room and tried to comfort her had told him that this was different.

He remembered how she had clung to him like a lifeline, and when she looked at him he saw sadness, regret and guilt - all things a dream about Ben would provoke. But what had confused him most was that she had know immediately upon seeing him that he was Alec, and he could have sworn she wasn't just clinging to him and pretending it was Ben giving her comfort. Her eyes told him that she had been glad that it was _him_ there.

But that still hadn't been enough to get her to open up to him and tell him what her dream had been about. Instead she had composed herself somewhat and told him he couldn't fix it, that she was fine, that it was just a bad dream, nothing to worry about, and that he should go and get some sleep.

He had wanted to argue with her – badly – but he saw how tenuous her grasp on her emotions were, so he had returned to the couch like she had asked. He hadn't been able to sleep after that, lying awake for the rest of the night listening to Max toss and turn, knowing that she couldn't sleep either.

He had left in the early morning, returning to his apartment to shower before heading to H.Q. He had gotten a little work done, but his thoughts kept drifting to a certain brunette.

So now he was sitting here pushing his breakfast around his plate while trying to work out what he should do.

oOoOoOoOo

Max heard Alec slide off the couch and quietly leave her apartment, the front door clicking softly behind him. She hadn't gone back to sleep after her nightmare, she had been too terrified of a repeat performance. She had lain awake trying not to think about her dream, instead listening to Alec restlessly turning on the couch. She knew he hadn't gone back to sleep either.

She pulled herself out of bed and padded to the bathroom. She needed a shower, and she needed to get back to work. If she buried herself in work she wouldn't have anytime to think about last night and Alec, right? Well, it had always worked for her in the past.

As she left her apartment she was in need of a caffeine hit, more for the comforting and familiar action than the little effect it had on her physically, so she headed towards the Mess.

"Heya Max," Morris greeted. "You come for some breakfast? We've got eggs."

"Nah, thanks. I came in search of a heart starter."

"The good coffee's in the back, help yourself," Morris replied with a wink.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec had just decided he had finished tormenting his breakfast when he saw her enter. As he looked her over he noticed Max looked more tired and haggard than usual. Her shoulders were slumped and her eyes dull.

He got up and cleared his plate, 'bumping' into her on his way out.

"Heya Max. You heading over to Headquarters?"

"Yeah," she muttered slightly taken aback, she had assumed that he was already there.

"Mind if I walk with you?"

"Not as long as your ass keeps up," she mumbled as she continued briskly towards their destination, hoping speed would be her ally against an awkward conversation.

Alec didn't know how to broach the subject, he just wasn't optimised for all this mushy, emotional crap; and thankfully he realised, Max wasn't either. So he just dove right in.

"So… how are you doing?" he asked quietly, as he ran a nervous hand through his hair and stole a sideways glance at her.

Max glanced back at him, not slowing her pace one bit. "Fine."

"Because you know if you ever need anything …" he offered, turning to look her in the eye.

"I know," she replied softly as she met his gaze, holding it. "And thanks…for last night. And for not trying to make me talk about it."

"You're welcome. But if you ever need to—"

"I know," Max said quickly, cutting him off. "I won't. Some things I don't even like knowing about myself," she said quietly and she lowered her head, breaking the spell.

"Max—"

"Alec don't…" she entreated, stopping abruptly to look at him. "…just…don't" she whispered, as she turned and walked into her office, leaving him to stare after her.

* * *

**A/N:** More Max and Alec fireworks coming up shortly! But alas you are all going to have to wait till after the weekend because I have plans. If I get enough reviews between now and then I might stay up late on Sunday when I get back and post. Hope you all have a good weekend!


	11. Traitor?

**A/N: **I just wanna say thanks to those of you who reviewed, and instead of spending my time replying to you all I have decided to post this instead, and I'll get cracking on the next chapter right away. So thanks again guys!

* * *

**Traitor?**

For the next couple of days things in T.C. ran smoothly. The transgenics had pulled enough raids over that three day period to have stocked up enough on food, ammo, and medical supplies to take the pressure off them for a couple of weeks.

This easing of the pressure allowed Max the time to abide by most of Alec's rules. There was still heaps to organise and plan for, but the urgency of the situation had eased considerably. Max still insisted on overseeing everything herself, spending hours at her desk or consulting and meeting with her lieutenants, but now she found herself with the time to grab something to eat or a few hours sleep. She convinced herself that her compliance was merely a result of this extra time, and that it was what she would have done on her own had she not had Alec's threats hanging over her head. Besides, she still refused to submit completely, making a point of not taking her recreational time or regular breaks throughout the day.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec was glad to see in the days following the raids that Max was abiding by most of his rules, to the point where he was content enough to let the rest slide. He knew Max well enough to know that if he hassled her about the small stuff, she'd start baulking at _all_ the rules on principle. Whereas if she thought she was circumventing some of his rules she'd feel less threatened, and would adhere to the most important ones to keep the peace.

This was something that Alec had banked on from the very beginning. He had included some of those rules with the expectation that she would refuse to abide by them, and he was willing to sacrifice them if it meant that she would adhere to the others.

He understood Max's nature and that she had issues with authority figures – she was allergic or something. He knew that she wouldn't submit to his will completely - she needed a point at which she could focus her rebellion. She needed to feel as though she were winning their little 'game'. That she was getting one over him.

So Alec wasn't concerned that she didn't take her recreation time, or that she never took her scheduled breaks throughout the day. His sole goal at the moment was to make sure that she ate and slept regularly. And besides, he figured once he got her doing that he could always work on the smaller stuff.

But if he did know anything about Max, it was that the more pressure she was under the less likely she was to abide by any of the rules. Max was more than willing to sacrifice whatever it took to look after her people. It was one of the things about her that had captivated Alec from the start - he admired her undying devotion to those she loved.

So in order to lighten her load Alec had subtly approached Dix and told him that from now on he would be taking over the day to day runnings of several of the less important aspects of T.C. Dix was therefore to refer all non-essential issues and requests to Alec first.

Alec hoped that if Max didn't have to deal with all the inconsequential daily issues of housing, recreational activities, repairs to facilities and information gathering, that she would have more time to look after herself. Besides, it was going to take more than one of them to run T.C. long-term. Although he knew Max was gonna try. She never had been very good at sharing.

oOoOoOoOo

"Hey Dix," Max called from across the room. "Has Elle got back with that amended list yet?"

"Ah…" the transhuman's eyes darted around the room.

"Dix?" Max pinned him with a look, her eyebrow raised in silent question.

"Alec said he'd handle it," Dix replied hesitantly, feeling the heat of Max's gaze upon him.

"Did he now?" her tone laced with suspicion. "And the security reports?"

"Umm…"

"Dix?" Max coxed.

"They're being looked at," Dix squeaked nervously.

"I see," Max said in a tone that was deceptively pleasant. "And those preliminary defence strategies?"

Dix coughed and refused to meet Max's eye.

"Let me guess…someone else is looking at them?"

Dix just gave a reluctant nod.

"What's going on Dix?" Max demanded, hands on her hips.

"Well…"

"Is this a mutiny? Am I being mutinied upon? Is this why I'm being shut out all of a sudden?" she demanded more loudly as she became more upset.

"No Max, of course not," Dix hastened to assure her, his anxiety at her misunderstanding plainly evident.

"Well, please explain to me why every time I try to do any real work around here the last few days I'm being impeded, or someone else has done it, or is doing it, or Alec's handl—" Max stopped abruptly.

"ALEC!" Max swore loudly to herself, coming to a realisation. "This reeks of Alec," she said, her temper beginning to flare. "That son-of-a-bitch! I'm gonna kill him," she swore savagely.

"Alec was only trying to help," Dix piped up, feeling the need to defend the likeable X-5.

"Really?" Max snarled sarcastically, turning her full attention and fury on the timid transhuman. "Enlighten me then, _please_."

"Ah…Alec wanted to lighten your workload a little. He was worried about you."

"Alec didn't want me to wear myself out?" she spat viciously. "Is that his excuse for attempting to usurp my leadership? That two-faced, traitorous, rat-bastard!"

"He's just worried about you, Max. We all are."

"I've been looking after myself for the last decade, I don't need _anyone's _help, especially not _his_!" she ranted, a determined look in her eye, which quickly turned to cold detachment. "If anybody needs anything I'm…indisposed. I'm sure Alec will gladly field it," Max snapped, trying to disguise the waver in her voice as she turned on her heel and strode from the room, waves of anger and hurt rolling off her.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec's phone rang for the sixth time in ten minutes.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I hear ya. I'm a little tied up at the moment, can you get Max to take a look, I'm on the other side of town?"

"Really? She said that? Well just deal as best you can till I get there," Alec said, flipping the phone shut.

"I'll be back later Big Fella, I've got a security issue."

"No problem. Alec go," Joshua replied as he bestowed a parting slap on Alec's back.

As he strode towards Headquarters Alec flipped his phone open and hit speed dial.

_"You've got Max. Talk." **BEEP**_

"Hey Max, it's Alec. Give me a call when you get this."

Alec immediately paged Max. He didn't know what 'indisposed' meant, but he could sure use a bit of help right now.

"Hey guys, what's up? Alec asked, getting right to the point as he entered the fray in the middle of H.Q.

"Someone's knocking out our security cameras," Dix replied seriously, as he leaned over the map of T.C. "We've lost visuals on three cameras so far and they're all on the east side. We don't know who's doing it," he said, as he pointed out the camera's positions on the map to Alec.

"I say whoever it is, we terminate," Mole growled.

"We're not terminating anyone," Alec ordered, looking directly at Mole, his meaning clear. "It could just be kids."

"Or it could be White," Mole replied, not backing down.

"I want all sentries beefed up on all posts. It might be a diversionary tactic, or it could be a test. No one is to be seen from the perimeter. We all stay invisible. I don't want anyone taking pot-shots at our people, even if it is just kids," Alec ordered. "And where's Max? Has she been updated about this," Alec asked, as he scanned the room once again for her, even though he already knew she wasn't there.

"_Her highness_ isn't answering her calls," Mole informed everyone gleefully, satisfied that for once Max had screwed up big enough that questions would be asked about her leadership capabilities, after all she was abandoning her people in their hour of need.

"Does anyone know why?" Alec asked carefully, looking from transgenic to transgenic searching for a clue. Most averted their eyes, Alec's penetrating gaze too intense to meet.

"Dix?" Alec's eyes settled on the transhuman as he noted his evasiveness.

Dix's eyes darted to Alec and then backwards and forwards to everyone else in the room nervously.

"Max's office," Alec commanded as he turned and strode towards it, the transhuman scurrying to catch up.

"Shut the door." Alec leaned his tall frame against Max's desk. "Now spill" he said, raising his eyebrows and pinning Dix with a no-nonsense look.

"She came in earlier. She wanted to know why everyone was shutting her out. She thought it was a mutiny."

"And someone told her it was my doing," Alec stated, running a hand through his hair in frustration as the implications hit him.

"No. She worked it out herself. I tried to explain it to her."

"None of that matters," Alec sighed. "The outcome's gonna be just as messy. What did she say?"

"That she would be 'indisposed', and that you would gladly field it."

Alec simply raised his eyebrows in question.

"Her words," Dix shrugged.

"Okay, looks like we're on our own," Alec sighed as he scrubbed his face with his hand; he was feeling the pressure already.

"Maybe if you just call and explain…"

"Dix, this is Max. She's not gonna let me get a word out, let alone believe it."

"Maybe you can make her understand," Dix said hopefully.

"If there's anything I've learnt, it's that you can't make Max do anything she doesn't want to."

"Looks like you're doing okay so far," Dix hedged quietly.

"That's completely different. That's strategy… and behavioural management…and…Look it's just different, okay."

"Whatever you say, boss," Dix teased, watching Alec stride out the door.

Alec could tell that this was going to be one long assed day. "I hate responsibility," he muttered darkly.

oOoOoOoOo

"Come on suga," Cindy said, as she bumped Max's shoulder with her own, "Spill. What's got you all dark and broody?"

"Nothing," Max replied into her beer. After her discovery of Alec's little high coup she had left T.C to seek O.C. out at Crash.

"Ah, _now_ O.C. understands," Cindy said triumphantly with a knowing smirk. "Not what, _who_!"

"I could just kill him O.C., slowly, painfully, cruelly," Max fanaticised. "How many times have I saved his sorry ass, and this is how he repays me, with deceit and deception and…Ugh! You know he's leading a mutiny against me?" Max ranted, finally meeting Cindy's gaze, her eyes blazing with anger, disbelief and pain.

"Yo' boy?" Cindy said in confusion. "He wouldn't do tha' to ya suga, the boys too loyal to yo' ass," she said with absolute certainly.

"Pfft." Max snorted. "Alec's only loyal to Alec."

"Tha' boy'ed give his life fo' yours if it came to it suga, and you know it," Cindy deadpanned, locking eyes with Max. "He's a good one. A good friend. Something you shouldn't take fo' granted. Alec's been nothing _but_ loyal."

"'Cept for trying to kill me that one time," Max muttered under her breath.

Cindy couldn't help but shake her head at Max's blind stubbornness. "He was only tryin' to save his own bacon, and in the end the he your life over his own. If tha' don't speak to his goodness, Original Cindy don't know what does."

"You don't know the half of it," Max groused.

"Well, break it down for Original Cindy," O.C. said seriously, putting down her beer to concentrate.

"I…uh, never mind," Max huffed.

"Well suga, just ask yo'self one question before you condemn the boy's ass. What's he getting' out of all this? You know yo' boy shies away from responsibility. He ain't in this fo' no power and glory," Cindy finished, eyeing Max meaningfully.

oOoOoOoOo

As Max lay in bed and listened to Cindy's rhythmic breathing coming from the other room she thought about what her friend had said earlier. She hated to admit it, but Cindy had a point. What was Alec getting out of this little game of his? What was the pay off for him?

Her phone vibrated on her dresser as another message was left. She picked it up. **1 Message Received. Sender: Alec.** She hit message bank.

"_Hey Max, it's Alec. Again. We need to talk…please… come home."_

She replayed it. He sounded tired and a little…she didn't quite know…lost maybe? Whatever it was she'd never heard him sound that way before. What if something had happened? She couldn't bare the thought of something bad having happened when she wasn't there - they were after all her family. It was that fear that made her decision for her.

Besides, she was getting antsy already. She'd only been gone twelve hours and already she was getting itchy palms. She now realised with a clarity she'd never before possessed that she didn't think she could ever go back to living an ordinary's life. Even when she tried she couldn't stop analysing possible targets for heists, or thinking about an education plan for the youngsters, or running through long-term improvements for T.C.

Max now understood T.C. was where she belonged - with her people. And if they decided that they wanted her out of office she would fight - hard - but in the end if that's what everyone wanted, well she could live with that. Possibly.

Max realised that her only real choice was to go back and face Alec. And that was exactly what she was going to do – tomorrow tonight. She gave an evil little smirk at that thought. She'd let him sweat. Let them all sweat for a while. After all, they deserved to have a trial run with the alternative 'candidate' if they really were considering deposing her.

It's not that Max didn't think that with the right organisation they couldn't do it themselves, after all they were all highly intelligent, expertly trained adaptation specialists. But they were soldiers, and as such most followed orders better than they gave them. And it was a gruelling, ceaseless job. She knew she only managed the way she did because of her ability to go days without sleep. It allowed her to fit in all the liaising, consulting, planning, executing and paperwork that running T.C. required. Max gave another small smirk. She would be very interested to see if Alec still wanted the job in twenty-four hours time.

* * *

**Inspire me, and I'll post again tomorrow!**


	12. Knowing Someone

**Knowing Someone**

As she strode into headquarters late the next night Max noticed everything appeared to be running smoothly. There were more bodies at work than there normally were at this time of night, but still, everything looked under control.

"Heya Dix, how's life on the front line today?" Max asked conversationally.

"Hey Max," the transhuman said, a little surprised as he turned to face her. "It's pretty quiet. We had a few glitches earlier, but everything's sorted now." As he stood nervously in front of her Dix tried to read Max's mood. He was expecting her to still be fuming, and unfortunately he was the only one in her line of fire at the moment .

"So has there been a meeting? Am I going to be allowed to have my job back, or has there been a more suitable replacement found?" she asked in a semi-jovial manner, however the bitterness underlying her question could easily be detected by those who knew her.

"Max, nobody was trying to depose you. We all owe you too much to ever do that to you. We were only trying to help out," the transhuman said soberly. "Alec would never try to—"

"I know," Max said briskly, halting his emotional outpouring.

"He did a good job Max." Dix continued tentatively. "I know he's not you, and things run more smoothly when you're at the helm…but he did a good job,"

Max looked him in the eye and nodded. "Where is he?"

"In your office."

oOoOoOoOo

As Alec looked up from his paperwork to see who was at the door his heart contracted almost painfully. _Max_. Thank God she was back safely. He'd been worried not knowing where she was.

But now Alec knew that it was his own safely that he should be most concerned about. She was gonna kick his ass good for this. If she honestly believed that he was trying to usurp her position as leader of T.C. then he was afraid that nothing he said would convince her otherwise.

He decided decided that the safest bet was to remain silent and let her have her rant. At least that way he couldn't piss her off anymore.

Max watched Alec's face with interest; he obviously hadn't been expecting it to be her at the door. She saw shock, relief, trepidation and… resignation? She realised that he was waiting for her to tear him limb from bloody limb, and for some reason she found that funny.

Alec sat there waiting for Max to erupt into hot molten rage, but as the moment stretched on she remained standing silently in the doorway. As he studied her more carefully, he noticed her relaxed posture, and while her face was carefully blank he barely recognised the emotion playing behind her eyes…was that…_amusement?_ Not wanting to break Max's surreal mood Alec simply raised an eyebrow in question.

"So… did you have fun in my absence?" Max asked teasingly. She knew with one look at him that he was worn out. He was still wearing the same teal coloured shirt he had been the day she left, only now it was crumpled and had smudges of dirt down the front. And even from this distance she could easily see the black circles under his eyes, and the strain across his brow. She idly wondered if this was how she often looked to others.

Alec simply bowed his head in exhaustion and replied with a low deep groan that caused Max's body to contract in unspeakable places.

"How do you do it?" he asked in a soft serious tone as he looked up at her. "How do you get it all done?" his voice laced with something bordering on awe.

"Well, it's harder now with your stupid rules," Max said with a chuckle.

Alec just nodded. "You know Max, I wasn't trying to unseat you here. I would never—"

"I know," she cut in swiftly.

"You do?" he asked shocked. Max always assumed the worst about him.

"I do now," she replied, shrugging one shoulder and looking away self-consciously.

"Oh…well…good."

"So... are you ready to hand me back my ship, or are you intending on keeping it a little longer?"

"Hell no! She's all yours," Alec hurried, leaping out of her chair like it had just bitten him on the butt. "Most of the paperwork is done. Here's a report on everything that happened in your absence," he said, handing the page to her.

Max reached out and took it from him, scanning it swiftly, absorbing every detail. A thought suddenly struck her. "You knew I'd be back?" she stated as she lifted her eyes from the report, surprised.

"Of course," Alec replied confidently, his eyes and tone softening. "You care too much about everyone here to just walk out on them. Even if it had been a serious coup you still would have come back, regardless of the outcome."

"You honestly believe that?" Max questioned, interested to hear his take on her; he obviously thought he knew her pretty well.

"Sure. You would have come back and faced everyone. You would have made one almightily fuss, ranting and raving and stomping your foot," Alec laughed at the image in his head. "But in the end you would have stood by everyone's decision," he said suddenly serious. "If you'd lost you would have stuck around, found a pet project to focus on, and got on with it. Probably the littlies," he said smiling. "I could see you mothering them to death, teaching them to defend themselves and how to be a good person and… what life and living is all about," he said, with a slightly sad wistful smile.

Max stood staring at Alec with something akin to astonishment. He had painted a very vivid picture and she could see it, and she knew how easily this could have been one of the paths that she would have taken had she lost her fight for power. It was the one that she liked to think that she would have taken if things had turned out that badly.

But there was also another path that she knew that she could just as easily have walked, and it would have taken her out of Terminal City. If she were honest with herself she knew that as hard as it would have been for her, she could see herself running in her anger and hurt. She knew that there was that side of her nature that would have dictated to her that she run from the rejection, and she wasn't sure that she would have had the strength not to in the end.

But what had floored her most was the fact that Alec had believed that she would never abandon T.C. and its people. He had fully believed that she would do the right thing. He had only ever seen her take the right path.

"You either know me too well, or not at all," Max replied quietly.

Alec not knowing what she meant cocked his head to the side, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"I don't even know what I'd do in that situation," she clarified, shivering slightly at the thought of everyone being dissatisfied with her leadership and her partiality to running.

"Well it's a good thing that I do then," Alec replied with a soft smile.

Max, suddenly uncomfortable with the intimacy of the conversation averted her gaze back to the paper in her hands, playing with the corners.

"I see you were at O.C.'s," Alec commented after a moment, a smile in his voice. Max looked up in confusion. "That's a nice shade of cherry," he replied, nodding to her nails.

"Cherry_wood_, actually," Max corrected teasingly. "And I figured that since I was being dethroned I might as well take the opportunity to indulge in those girly luxuries that leaders of nations don't have time for," she said with a wide smile.

"Really?" Alec asked, his countenance a picture of innocence except for the naughty twinkle in his eye. "Does that include fights in your lingerie and hot oil massages?"

"Nothing so exotic. Mostly hot baths and pedicures," she laughed at him indulgently, whilst rolling her eyes violently.

"At the same time though, right?" Alec said suggestively, waggling his eyebrows.

Max stopped laughing, turning serious. "Mostly."

Alec's eyes bugged out of his head at her expression, which all too clearly told him the truth of the matter.

"Now beat it," Max said, as she pushed him out of the room. "Go get some sleep...and a shower. You look horrendous," she said grimacing, scrunching up her nose at the rather pungent male smell that permeated the small room. "Not pretty at _all_."

* * *

**A/N: **I know that the last few chapters have deviated from Max and Alec's battle of wills over _'the rules'_, and I am going to get the story back on track after this chapter in a hurry. Only problem is I haven't finished writing it all - I have later chapters mostly written, but not the linking chapters. Sorry. So if you could bare with me, I will try and have it out in a couple of days. If anyone has any good ideas of something that they would like to see happen let me know. Cheers!


	13. In The Shit

**A/N:** I have suddenly decided that I am going to attempt a resurrection. A little arrogant of me, I know, to assume the powers of a God, but hey, it can't be that hard, right?

Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed at any point, many of you numerous times: darkaznangel452; hello20075; grayceg; browncoatgirl; Chica De Los Ojos Cafe; JoJo2753; MythStar Black Dragon; ackles-shackles; Mahine; Max5452; Ria Lucas; Misstic; Dawns Heart; samiami111.

* * *

**In The Shit **

As the days passed both transgenics made an effort to maintain their new found peace, both enjoying the camaraderie that had resulted. No one was more shocked than Alec when not only did Max not tear him a new one for the mutiny fiasco, but she actually accepted his help, allowing him to remain in charge of those projects he had so underhandedly acquired from Dix.

Alec was just passing the Mess Hall on his way back from checking on some plumbing at the other end of T.C. when he decided to save Max a trip down to collect the supply inventory. Alec entered the back of the kitchen and found Morris leaning over some papers.

"Heya Morris, how's things going man?"

Morris looked up from his work and gave a smile. "You here to hassle me about the inventory list?"

"Yep," Alec replied with a wide smile. "I was passing, figured I'd save Max a trip if it's done?"

"Sure, just finishing it up now. I'll only be a sec," Morris replied, as he turned back to the papers.

"No problem." Alec replied, as he looked around the room. He wasn't good at waiting. Not even when his life depended on it and he found himself locked in a closet with a beautiful woman.

"So…"Morris began deliberately, still looking at the pages in front of him and occasionally writing on them. "How's the battle of wills with Max going? Getting anywhere?"

"And where would I hope to be getting?" Alec asked, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He had specifically not told anyone about his little ultimatum with Max on purpose. He hadn't wanted to piss her off or embarrass her any more than absolutely necessary.

"You're trying to get Max to stop putting all of our needs ahead of her own," Morris said, stopping what he was doing and looking up at Alec. "You're trying to get her to stop unconsciously punishing herself for something that is not in anyway her fault. Is that about right?"

"That might be in the right ball-park," Alec conceded carefully. He looked at Morris speculatively for a moment. "How did you know? I haven't told anyone."

"Alec, you may think that I am only the chef, but I spend my day talking to people and watching interactions. There's nothing quite like watching someone at the dinner table to help unravel the mysteries surrounding them." Alec screwed up his face at the thought of having to watch some of the transhumans chow down on their dinner. The thought made him feel nauseous.

"I notice things, and it doesn't take a Manticore alum to work out what is going on between the two of you." Alec simply raised his eyebrows. "And my warning still holds. Are you sure you know what you're doing? Because it may not just be your and Max's relationship at stake. T.C. will suffer for this if your little game all blows to hell."

Max came to a rapid halt when she heard her name through the wall. She had been on her way to collect the kitchen inventory, but now it was the furthest thing from her mind. She was intensely interested to hear what was being said about her, and by whom.

Alec gave a frustrated sigh. "Well what am I supposed to do? I'm not gonna stand by and continue to watch her try and kill herself anymore. I can't do it. Someone had to do something."

"And I'm not disagreeing," Morris said seriously, "but what has Max had to say about it all?"

"Max has had plenty to say about it," Alec snorted, looking away. "But you know what? I don't care anymore. I am going to make certain that she looks after herself from now on. She is going to eat and sleep and delegate. There is no alternative anymore. It's what is best for her _and_ for T.C."

"Look Alec, I'm not saying that what you are trying to do is not the right thing."

"Then what are you trying to say?" Alec asked stonily.

"I'm just not sure that this is the right way to go about it is all."

"Well if you can come up with a better solution to the problem then I am all ears. But you know what Max is like. She won't listen to anyone else, and if standover tactics and threats are gonna get the job done, then in this instance I am all for them. I am fully aware that this might just cost me her friendship, but compared to the alternative… that is a price that I can live with."

Max felt her hands ball into fists. She couldn't believe that he was talking about her behind her back. She felt the fury within her begin to boil, and another stronger emotion – betrayal. Max couldn't bare to hear any more. She had to get out of there.

oOoOoOoOo

Max decided that she needed to blow off some steam. As she sat alone on the roof of one of T.C.'s buildings she thought about everything that she had overheard. She now understood why other people's mothers warned against eavesdropping – you really didn't hear anything nice.

Max was almost sorry that she had overheard any of it, because it hurt. It really _hurt_. But at least now she knew the truth. And she was angry at herself. After hearing what he had said, Max couldn't believe that she had ever put so much faith and trust in Alec. Hell, she'd considered him a friend. She had trusted him with her darkest secrets. She had even felt extremely guilty and stupid for accusing him of leading a coup against her - feelings she usually never let manifest for anyone. Now she felt like a real chump.

Max had always been aware of Alec's immense talents, even if she didn't like to acknowledge them publicly. Like all X-5's he was gorgeous, brilliant, and ingenious. But Alec's unique skills went way beyond those of the average Manticore created soldier. He was resourceful like nothing Max had ever seen before, and he was capable of adapting to any situation with a moments notice. But his most impressive skill was by far his infectious personality. Max was convinced that there was no person on earth immune to Alec's unique charm - it was what allowed him to befriend anyone he chose, and then manipulate them to his own advantage. In fact, Max would go so far as to put money on the fact that given twenty minutes Alec could sucessfully convince the Pope to throw a keg party at the Vatican in the middle of Lent.

But what stung the most was that Max had never expected that Alec would use his talent against _her_. She knew that their relationship could sometimes at best be considered rocky, but after all they had been through together, it had never even crossed her mind that he would put the whammy on her.

She wasn't completely naive, though. Max knew that Alec hid parts of himself from her – like she did from him. But now she realised that maybe the Alec she thought she knew didn't exist at all. Maybe that man was a staged show designed to manipulate her like she had seen him do countless times with unsuspecting targets. It was hard for Max to swallow the fact that maybe she was no different, that maybe she'd never meant anything more to him than any of the others had.

She comforted herself with the fact that she now knew the truth. She had foolishly begun to believe that he really was putting her through hell because he honestly cared about her and thought it was what was best for her. But now she knew exactly where she stood. Not only was Alec only doing this for the good of T.C. as he saw it, but he didn't care if it cost him her friendship.

Max strengthened her resolve. Well if he was only doing this for the good of T.C., and he didn't care if it left their relationship in tatters, then she wouldn't feel the least bit guilty giving him a little piece of hell back.

oOoOoOoOo

"Hey Max," Luke stuck his head in her door. "I've got a report of a scuffle down on Maine Street between a couple of X-5's?"

Max didn't bother to look up from her papers. "Get Alec to deal with it," she replied, as she waved her hand dismissively in front of her.

"Hey Max, I'm running out of suitable apartments to refurbish for new arrivals," Vince said as he stood in her doorway. "I think we're going to have to work something out."

Max looked up from her papers. "Alec's good at finding solutions to T.C.'s problems," she replied stonily, "get him to solve it."

"Hey Max—"

"Get Alec to field it. I'm busy," Max snapped, not looking up.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec was in an old abandoned building assessing it's appropriateness as a future training facility, when suddenly his phone rang.

"Alec. Yeah. Did you ask Max? She might want to do that herse-- Oh? Okay. Yeah, I'll come down."

As soon as Alec had hung up, his phone rang again. As he was talking Alec noticed he was steadily being surrounded by several transgenics.

"What's up guys?" Alec asked, looking from one face to another as he hung up his phone again.

The five transgenics all looked at each other before Vince spoke up. "Ah, I think Max has sent us all down to see you."

"What about?"

"Well... I went to discuss the fact that we are running out of apartments for new arrivals."

"And she sent you _all_ to me?" Alec raised his brow in surprise.

All the transgenics nodded their heads in agreement.

"And what exactly did Max say?" Alec's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed more transgenics coming to stand before him.

"She said, _'Alec's good at finding solutions for T.C.'s problems. Get him to solve it'_."

"Dude I'm no expert, but that kinda sounds like you might be in the shit," Biggs chuckled heartily from beside Alec.

"It might be a compliment, have you ever thought of that?" Alec replied stubbornly.

"Well, I've certainly never had one from Max. What about you?" Biggs asked cheerfully.

Alec just scowled at his friend. "Did she say anything to anyone else?" Alec asked, turning back to the transgenics waiting patiently in front of him.

"W-Well…" Oliver, said nervously. "She didn't even wait to find out what I wanted, she just said, _'get Alec to field it. I'm busy'_."

"Fuck!" Alec swore, running his hands through his hair. Man he hated his life sometimes.

"Well, are you going to share with the class?" Biggs asked eagerly. He found endless entertainment in the soap opera that was Max and Alec's turbulent relationship.

"Those were her exact words when she thought that I was leading a mutiny against her and she disappeared for two days."

"Shit man, what did you do this time?" Biggs chastised, shaking his head like Alec should know better.

"Nothing. I haven't done anything this time." Alec defended.

"Well you must have done _something..._"

"Well _clearly," _Alec retorted sarcastically, "but that doesn't mean that I _know_ what I did."

"Man, you'd think you would be better at this after so long."

"Shut up!" Alec mumbled, as he turned to deal with all the transgenics clamouring for his attention.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec was exhausted. Completely and utterly dead on his feet, and all he wanted was something to eat, a shower and to crawl into bed. He had been dealing with all the jobs that Max kept sending his way, and because he was so busy he hadn't had the time to confront her. He was under no disillusionment now, she was clearly pissed! And she was trying to kill him by working him to death.

As he reached his door, his mind already firmly focused on his bed, Alec didn't notice anything until he was standing in his living room face to face with a tall blond stranger.

"Ah…who are you?" Alec asked confused.

"I'm Ken, and I live here. Who are you?"

"I'm Alec, and I live here…I think." Alec was starting to wonder whether he had fallen asleep on his walk home and this was all just a dream. But then if this _was_ a dream... shouldn't Ken be a Kerry or a Karen?

"Well dude, looks like you've been relocated. We were given the place today."

"We?" Alec queried.

"Me and Casey." Upon hearing her name another tall, leggy, well proportioned blonde appeared from what was once Alec's bedroom. Alec had to try hard not to laugh out loud at the two of them standing side-by-side all tall, blonde and tanned. This definitely was a step down from the Dreamhouse.

"Well I guess someone forgot to tell me," Alec said with a sigh. He knew full well no one had forgotten anything. "Enjoy the place," he said, as he turned to walk out the door.

"Hey," Alec said, turning around again, "you guys ever been to Malibu, by any chance?" Ken and Casey both looked at each other confused. "Ah, never mind," Alec said as he shut the door behind him.

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**A/N:** Okay, after posting the last chapter I really wasn't happy about how this story was turning out (plus I hadn't had many reviews which I took as an indication that everyone else thought it was dying a slow death too). And in the Author's Note for this chapter I had already written that I would probably be cutting this story short and moving on. However... I woke up this morning and had an inbox full of reviews from Dark Roswellian Angel, who overnight (well overnight for me) had read all twelve chapters and reviewed EVERY one. So I wanna thank Dark Roswellian Angel for that tremendous effort, cause it gave me a kick in the pants and made me post this chapter. From now on, though, the number of reviews I recieve will dictate how long this story ends up being. If no one is much interested I will just wrap it up. Ball's in your court!


	14. Frosty Relations

**Frosty Relations**

The next day Alec found that he was no closer to cornering Max and making her tell him exactly what had crawled up her butt. And he was cranky - majorly cranky. After his impromptu introduction to the Mattel twins the night before, Alec had stumbled over to Biggs's place and fallen in an unconscious heap on his very lumpy couch. And he hadn't even gotten out Biggs' front door this morning before he was met by another group of transgenics who were seeking his assistance on referral from Max. Clearly Max had decided to finally get her claws out.

Alec waited until late at night when H.Q. was all but deserted to confront her. As he approached her office he could see Max sitting at her desk poring over some documents. He lent up against her door frame and watched her. He noted idly that she at least didn't look too tired - unlike himself, who looked like the walking dead.

"Hey." Alec wasn't about to wait for her to notice him this time, he was tired and he wanted some answers.

Max's head snapped up at the sound of Alec's clipped voice. "Hey..." she relied warily.

"Have you got a minute?"

"Um...sure," Max hedged, she really didn't want to talk to him, but she couldn't really find a good enough excuse not to. She had expected him to have been on her doorstep hours before and fuming over her little counter attack. She had been on alert all day as she sent every distasteful job his way, expecting him to suddenly appear in front of her and provoke a rip-roaring fight – she figured that time had finally come.

Alec moved to sit gracefully in the chair on the opposite side of her desk. "Do I get to know why, or is it a secret?" He got straight to the point, looking at her across the table like he genuinely didn't understand, and Max realized that he hadn't worked it out yet.

"Is what a secret?"

"Why you're trying to work me to death."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied coolly.

"Max!" Alec snapped, his frustration getting the better of him. "I'm tired and cranky - and patience is not my friend on a good day, and today is not a good day, " he said looking at her meaningfully, a warning underlying his tone. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, I'm doing what you told me I had to. I'm delegating."

Alec let out a harsh humorless laugh. "So you thought that you would delegate everything to me?"

"You failed to specify _specifically_ who I have to delegate to. And your name came immediately to mind," Max said with a cold hostile smile. She wasn't about to forgive and forget so easily, she was still smarting over his casual dismissal of their friendship yesterday.

"Why are you doing this Max?" Alec asked, genuinely confused.

Max narrowed her eyes at him. "I could ask you the exact same question," she hissed, and for some reason Alec had the distinct feeling that they weren't talking about the same thing anymore.

"You know what Max? I can't do this anymore," he said tiredly as he rose from his chair. "I'm sick of going round and round in circles with you – because I don't know if you've noticed, but that is all we seem to do lately."

"Well, if you would stop being so controlling, and stay out of my business…" Max threatened, leaning forward across her desk.

"You think that this is how I want things to be between us Max? You think that I like having to come across so heavy handed. I miss hanging out like we used to, and I hate this weirdness between us. And I'm only doing this because I care, however, if you are unable to believe that then fine. But it's the truth."

Max stared at him hard. She wanted to believe him, she desperately did, but she wasn't good at trust. It was something that she hadn't had much practice at, and she was having a hard time after what she had heard him say…

Alec saw the uncertainty flash across her face and it made him mad. "You know what Max, if you don't want to believe me then fine! If you change your mind come find me. In the mean time I will endeavor to stay out of your business, just make sure you abide by the rules, otherwise I can't guarantee anything." Alec swiftly turned on his heel and swept out of the room, leaving Max once again alone with her thoughts.


	15. Shortening The Leash

**A/N: **I want to thank everyone who is still reviewing. Cheers guys! You make me push everything else in my life to the side to make sure you get new chapters ASAP. Besides, why do today what you can put off till tomorrow, right?

**Shortening The Leash**

In the days that followed in the wake of Max and Alec's silent parting of the ways, things ran less than smoothly...

True to his word Alec kept himself at a distance, to the extent where he would make a point of leaving a room whenever Max entered it. Both refused to talk to the other unless absolutely necessay, and only then through a third party; and they stubbornly refused to acknowledge each other in passing. It got to the point where everyone felt an arctic blast sweep through H.Q. anytime their two leaders happened to be in the same room at the same time.

It hadn't escaped Alec's notice either that hostile nations had better lines of communication than he and Max currently had. But he was determined that this time he was not going to be the one that put things right - it was Max's turn. He was going to stay strong. He was making a stand.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec's resolve lasted four and a half days. It hadn't wavered for more than a couple of seconds up until he started to notice the effect their quarrel was having on those around them. He had been so caught up in their dispute that he hadn't immediately noticed that when he entered the same room as Max, people cleared out – on mass. And even when he wasn't in the same room, everyone was reluctant to spend time with him in case he had them take a message to Max – apparently she gave the same frosty reception to those bearing messages as she would have to their sender.

Alec had been pondering his options for half a day before he decided something had to be done. And it was going to have to be him that did it - again. So Alec bided his time until he got back from a heist to acquire some elusive medical supples, before deciding to go in search of Max and a resolution - or at least an awkward truce.

Alec strode through headquarters with a no-nonsense attitude – he wanted to get this over with. "Where's Max?" he asked curiously, as he searched the room for her. Since this had all started Max had pretty much claimed H.Q. as her territory, never wandering far.

"Ah…Max isn't here," Dix explained nervously, refusing to meet Alec's gaze.

"Then where is she?" his tone slow and deliberate, the seriousness of his questions echoing around the room. Alec saw Dix grow more nervous, shifting from foot to foot and refusing to look at him, and he felt the heavy feeling of apprehension settle in the pit of his stomach.

Dix knew that what he was about to tell Alec was going to shatter the frosty yet peaceful atmosphere of the last week, but in all honestly he couldn't wait to for the X-5 to return and assume responsibility for the situation.

"We got a call from an X-5 in distress…and she…and Max went to save them," Dix rushed, relieved to get it off his chest. Now this was officially Alec's problem.

"And you let her go!" Alec roared in anger, staring down every transgenic in the room clearly displaying just how furious he was with them all. "You at least made her take backup, right?" Alec demanded, threateningly. He didn't want to contemplate the trouble Max could get into out there on her own, especially with an unknown transgenic.

"You weren't here Alec," Dix said quickly.

"I'm not the only X-5 in T.C.!" Alec snapped viciously, as his worst nightmare was realised. It was one thing for Max to sneak out and visit O.C. - it had still made him worry, but he knew that she would at least be cautious - but it was quite another when she went on a rescue mission on her own. Those inevitably carried a high degree of exposure and risk, and Max was known for her willingness to sacrifice everything for someone she didn't even know. "Where did she go?"

"You know better than anyone that the silly bitch doesn't listen to anyone," Mole snarled, happy that for once everyone was acknowledging Max's mistake.

But Mole barely got time to finish the thought before Alec's iron grip was around his throat painfully. "You call her that again and I'm not adverse to throwing your scaly ass back into the basement from which she released you," Alec snarled, his upper lip lifting away from his teeth, not taking his steely gaze off Mole for a moment. "Every one of us here owes Max more than we can ever repay. Everything you now have you owe to Max. Including you life. I suggest you all remember that the next time you feel the urge to disrespect our leader... or else you'll be dealing with me!" Alec warned in a frigid tone, the threat reverberating around the room.

"Ah… she's somewhere in sector three," Dix replied softly, breaking the deafening silence that had engulfed the command centre.

"How long ago?" Alec said, suddenly recovering his self-control, releasing his punishing grip from Mole's throat and springing into action, readying himself to follow her.

"An hour."

Alec swore softly. "Of all the stupid, idiotic things to do…Why did she not take back up?!" he asked, more to himself than to anyone in the room.

"She refused to take anyone else, and you weren't here," Dix answered. "You're the only one that she ever agrees to take, Alec. If you're not here she postpones raids till you are."

"Which is what she should have done this time," Alec snapped, as he strode in the direction of his bike. He knew he was being unfair, that this wasn't Dix's fault, but he just couldn't contain all the rage and panic that was swelling in his chest, he just had to release some of it before he exploded. "I'm gonna kill her when I get my hands on her," he swore darkly to himself.

"Whose gonna be dying at your hands?" Max questioned as she strolled into H.Q., followed closely by an unfamiliar transgenic. "Everyone I'd like you to meet—"

Max's words were cut off as a large hand shot out and wrapped itself above her elbow, and proceeded to drag her in the direction of her office.

"He can introduce himself, but you and I…" Alec was so mad that his voice shook, "…we need to have a little chat…in private," Alec growled furious, as he steam-rollered her into her office and slammed the door behind them with such force it threatened to pull the door right off its hinges.

Max yanked her arm out of his grasp and spun to face Alec head on, her annoyance plainly written across her features, "Alec, what the hell…?"

"Don't even _think_ about pulling that whole holier than thou shit with me this time Max!" Alec boomed, his voice like steel reverberating around the room and out into headquarters for everyone to hear. "You know, you are unbelievable," he said shaking his head in astonishment as he stalked around the room, clenching and unclenching his fists. "How do you expect to lead those people out there when you pull the dumbest fuckin' shit imaginable! You seriously expect people to respect and obey you after pulling shit like you just did? Whose gonna trust you with their life when you respect your enemy's life more than your own!?"

"The kid was in trouble. You weren't here. What was I supposed to do? Leave him to die?" Max protested hotly.

"I am not the only X-5 in this city!!" Alec yelled at the top of his lungs. "Why didn't you take one of the others?"

"I… I have you trained. We know how the other works. Having someone new is likely to just get us both in trouble."

"And not having anyone is likely to get YOU killed!" Alec snapped impatiently, pinning her with a glare that could have cut glass.

"I don't know what you're getting your panties in a bunch about, no one died," Max huffed crossing her arms, but she made sure to stay out of Alec's reach.

Alec was shaking with the effort to control himself, he just wanted to shake her _violently _till her head popped off_. _"Not this time, but one of these days you're gonna run outta luck Max. You may be blessed with perfect genes, but you're _definitely_ no celestial being! You are mortal. You. Will. Die."

"Whatever," Max huffed. "I had it covered. It was a well executed rescue mission."

"That's the problem with you Max, it's not just a rescue mission to you anymore – it's a crusade. And it's gonna get you killed. You're too reckless."

"Look whose talking, Pot," she spat. "And this is none of your business!"

"And what have we been learning the last couple of weeks Max?" Alec asked, a tide of calm suddenly washing over him as he suddenly became more predatory. "That I can make whatever I like my business, and by breaking the most sacred of commandments – _thou shalt not recklessly endanger ones person_ – you have placed it squarely in the realm of my business." Alec gave her a look that made Max's stomach flutter in apprehension – it was _that _look - the look that always meant trouble for her. "And that now means that you and I are going to be spending many hours together."

"What are you talking about?" Max said warily.

"You underestimate me Max," Alec said with a hint of true sadness. "Don't think that I haven't realised that you've been neglecting some of our terms of agreement."

"I didn't agree to anything!" Max yelled, exasperated.

"That's beside the point," Alec simply waved a hand at her dismissively, in a way that really got Max's goat. "I know you haven't been taking your recreation time or your breaks. I also know that while you sometimes go to dinner, or have someone bring it to you, you don't always eat it. And Max, I know you haven't been sleeping. I know that you pretend to got to bed and then sneak down here, or work in your room.

Max's mouth hung open slightly and her eyes widened, before narrowing menacingly. "How do you know all this?"

"Like I said... you underestimate me," Alec replied simply. "But from now on you'll get the opportunity to get to know me a whole lot better, cause we're going to be spending a lot more quality time together," Alec informed her with a devilish glint in his eye and a knowing smirk.

"Oh no," Max said as she took an unconscious step away from him. The last thing Max wanted was to be spending more time in his company. Her feelings and emotions were already too convoluted and conflicting when it came to all things Alec related.

"Ooo yes" he purred with a wide, Cheshire cat smile; like the thought couldn't bring him more joy if it tried. "That way I can keep an eye on you, and keep your ass outta trouble."

"Oh no, definitely not!" Max said, backing up further. "I already spend too much time with your annoying ass."

"Well you shoulda thought of that before going out on your suicide mission. So now you and I are going to spend more time together than conjoined twins. And by the way Max," Alec said grinning at her, "I forgive you for being so rude to me this week. I'll just chalk it up to not enough sleep... something that you are going to be getting plenty of from now on," he promised darkly.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, the next chapter is not finished yet, and I am grappling with a directional issue at the moment - I pretty much know what I want to happen, just not sure of the order. So I am taking suggestions. There is going to be more game playing and hijinx between M/A, but there is also an emotional moment where fences are mended and they begin to understand each other and their feelings more fully. The delema: would you prefer Max and Alec to have their emotional moment sooner, making their following bickering more playful and less caustic, or, should they stay at odds making their battle of wills more malicious? Plus an indication of how everyone would like to see this resolved eventually. Happy? Less than happy? I am willing to bow to popular opinion.


	16. Silent Realisations

_**A/N: **I'd like to apologise for the delay in posting, but you can blame Stephanie Meyer for that because I got distracted reading The Host. Plus this was a tough one to write – I admit I procrastinated. Sorry…_

**Silent Realisations**

It had already been four hours and Alec was still sticking to her like glue, and it was driving Max _insane_. He was just sitting there in the old arm chair she had salvaged for her office, one long muscled leg slung over the arm swinging to some beat only he could hear. He was reading a bundle of papers, making notes occasionally, and he was completely absorbed in what he was doing – and so, unfortunately, was Max.

She had never witnessed Alec this quiet and …_quiet._ It was unsettling. Max was seeing another side of him, and it was fascinating to the point where she couldn't concentrate on anything else. Her eyes were continually drawn to him and she couldn't help but linger on the way he bit the side of his bottom lip as he concentrated, or his mussed hair that he sometimes ran his fingers through distractedly, or the adorable frown of concentration etched into his brow reminding her of a small boy.

_It was happening again…_

Max growled at herself in frustration before she could catch herself. She quickly shot a look in Alec's direction, hoping it was too quiet for him to have heard.

Max knew some of the reason she was so conscious of Alec's presence was because over the last five days she had missed him. She had realised that perhaps Alec meant more to her than she had originally thought. Sure he was annoying, and sure he caused some trouble – although now that she thought about it, he didn't seem to do that so much any more – and sure he could make her angrier than anyone else on the _planet_, but he also made her life easier.

Max never thought she would ever say it, but Alec made her day much more bearable. He provided a distraction, some human interaction that was not related to business, and he somehow made her decompress when she was around him. And after almost five days of having to try and run T.C. entirely on her own, with no one to turn to for some emotional support when she had a moment of indecision, well… it had made Max realise how much she actually relied on him.

The past week had given Max ample opportunity to reassess the events of the past couple of weeks and the changes they had inflicted on her relationship with Alec. She had gone further still by passing her mind back over their entire relationship from beginning to end, and as she looked back with a critical eye, Max realised that perhaps things were not always as she remembered them.

She decided that maybe O.C. had had a point. Not that she should be surprised. In fact if Max thought about it she really couldn't point her finger at anything her friend had _ever_ said that had not either been true, or come to fruition. She was scarily insightful. But in this instance it had been her insistence that Alec was a good friend to Max. And she had been right. Alec _was_ a good friend.

Even if Alec wasn't doing all this for the reasons Max had originally thought, she had to admit that he _had_ always been good to her. And if he really was only doing all this for the good of T.C. – helping her, being her friend, supporting her – then she supposed that she would have to settle for that. Not that it didn't hurt like a bitch to know that he didn't really care about their friendship the way that she did, because it did – a lot. But after the last week she wasn't sure if she could survive in here without him, and if that meant that she would have to settle for whatever he would give her, then…well, that's what she would do.

Alec was having trouble concentrating on what he was reading, his focus continually wandering in Max's direction. He kept feeling her eyes on him, but when he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye he didn't see what he'd expected. There wasn't any of the rage or hostility he had predicted – because in all honesty he had expected her to still be trying to rip him limb from bloody limb. Instead he saw curiosity and confusion, and was that …a _growl_? He had no idea what it meant or why she had done it, but as the reverberations washed over him they sent a shiver of awareness coursing through him.

Max was still busy starring at Alec, lost in thought, when his voice made her jump a little guiltily.

"Are we going to talk about this?" Alec's voice was smooth and deep, and when Max looked him in the eye he was looking at her with a curious, apprehensive sort of expression - like he was waiting to see it she was going to talk to him or start another fight.

Max slowly nodded. She realised that for the sake of their friendship they needed to clear the air. And she found that she wanted to. Ordinarily she avoided these sorts of conversations like an agoraphobic avoids rock concerts, but she wanted this one – well, not wanted it, but she wanted it to fix things between them. She wanted her Alec back.

"Will you tell me why you're upset?" Alec asked, now sitting as still as granite and looking at her intensely.

"I was angry," Max conceded quietly.

"At me." It was a statement, not a question.

Max nodded.

"Why?"

Max fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "I overheard something I… shouldn't have."

"About me?"

Max nodded again.

"From whom?" Alec knew he caused enough problems with Max all on his own, he didn't need any help from anyone else.

Max looked him straight in the eye. "From you."

Alec blinked at that little revelation. Clearly he _didn't_ need any help. But he also knew that he hadn't been going around badmouthing himself…

Max saw his puzzled expression. "I overheard a conversation in the kitchen."

Max watched as Alec's eyes widened and his face paled slightly. "Oh…"

"Ye-ah…" Max replied deliberately, watching his reaction to her words carefully.

"No wonder you were mad."

Max chuckled. "I was rather," she smiled ruefully.

Alec's eyes narrowed as he studied Max closely, surprised. "But you're not now?"

Max thought about her answer carefully for a moment. "No. I'm not mad now."

Alec could tell that Max was being honest with him, she wasn't mad anymore, but she wasn't completely fine either. "But…?"

Max refused to meet Alec's eyes or answer his question. Alec decided to answer for her.

"But you _are_ upset," he said slowly.

Max's eyes met Alec's. "Yes."

"Tell me why." Alec was surprised at how composed and reasonable Max was being about this. Admittedly it had taken her almost a week to reach this placid state, but he wasn't about to waste the opportunity now presented to him. If he could get her to tell him exactly what had upset her about what he had said, maybe he could get an insight into her destructive behaviour.

Max thought carefully on her words – not a technique she employed often. "You were undermining me behind my back," she explained evenly. "As my SIC you questioned my capabilities as leader in front of a subordinate soldier." Alec nodded solemnly, knowing that from her perspective that was exactly what he had done. "But you know what was worse? As my _friend _you betrayed my trust. But I suppose if it is for the good of T.C..." Max replied, a little bitterly.

Alec quickly scanned his memory for his exact words again and his eyes locked on Max's face as they flashed through his mind. '_It's __what is best for her _and_ for T.C__….__ I am fully aware that this might just cost me her friendship, but compared to the alternative, that is a price that I can live with.'_

Understanding dawned on him. "You think that I'm only doing this for T.C., don't you? You think that I am more worried about how all of this is affecting T.C. than about you. And… you don't think that I care about our friendship," he said, looking at her astonished.

"Those thoughts _may_ have crossed my mind for a second," Max replied seriously.

"For the last time Max, I am doing all this for _you_." Alec said softly, but in a tone that did not belie his frustration. "Your friendship is the most important thing to me Max, and I don't want to lose that. I only said what I said because I _would_ rather lose your friendship than see you end up dead - because you did nearly die the other day Max. All I am trying to do is prevent that."

"Alec, I don't need yo—"

"Max!" Alec interrupted sharply. "Come on. Can't you see that you need at least a little help?" Max remained staring at him stubbornly; she wasn't going to be admitting anything of the sort.

"Okay look. I'm sorry about what I said to Morris. I didn't mean what you thought I meant by it. But I am _not_ sorry for what I am trying to do. You need help whether you are willing to admit it or not, and that is exactly what you are going to get. _'The Rules'_ still apply, and I am still going to be sticking close to keep my eye on you."

Alec looked at Max carefully, trying to determine what she was thinking – she'd been remarkably quiet. "So…are we good?"

Max weighted up her options carefully. She already knew that when Alec decided he was going to be stubborn about something there was nothing that could deter him; so she figured that they could argue and fight until they both went hoarse, or, she could just accept the situation, keep the peace, and have Alec back in her life. She chose option two.

"Yeah, we're good."

oOoOoOoOo

As they walked through T.C. headed to her apartment, Max still couldn't believe how quiet Alec had been all day. He had stuck to her like Araldite, but instead of chewing her ear off with endless chatter like he usually would, he had surprised her. He was actually quite respectful.

Alec had been lost in thought all afternoon debating the sanity of the proposal he had just made. He knew that spending every minute in Max's company like he had promised was going to be bad for his health. Not only would she undoubtedly try to kick his ass everyday, but she was by nature difficult and frustrating and he knew that his mental health was going to take a hammering.

But what concerned Alec most was the effect her proximity was going to have on his feelings for her; because he already suspected that he felt more for her than he should. He already had trouble not staring at her, or comforting her, or reaching out to brush a lock of hair behind her ear; and after the last five days Alec knew that there was a part of him that was going to revel in her close proximity, and it frightened him. He knew that he already had attachment issues, because any time she was out of his sight for any period of time or he thought that she might be in danger, he panicked. What if this attachment got stronger the more time he spent with her? How was he supposed to cope when he was going to be spending every minute in her company?

Alec also found Max's reaction to his little announcement intriguing. While she had done the obligatory huffing and puffing, she really didn't seem all that upset with the arrangement. In fact she had been surprisingly blasé about it all; and it was adding weight to the thought swirling around in his head that she wasn't as unaffected by him as he had first thought, or as she liked to pretend.

The last five days had given him ample time to revisit in detail his memory of the last couple of weeks, and certain aspects now stuck out. There had been a few times recently when Alec had thought that maybe Max was looking at him in a way that suggested she might be interested. At the time he had dismissed it and shaken it off as wishful thinking - the effect of an over active imagination - but now that he thought about it he wasn't convinced anymore. He was now sure that it _had_ been desire flashing in her eyes that day in her office. When he had pinned her to the wall he had heard the gasp she took when he restrained her with his body, and he had felt the shiver pass though her when he had whispered his veiled threats in her ear. At the time he had simply written it off as symptoms of barely contained rage, but the more that he thought about it, the less he was convinced.

"Well, see you in the morning," Max said as she opened the door to her apartment.

"Yes you will," Alec replied, as he brushed past her and into the room.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Alec flopped himself into the middle of her couch. "Your couch has my name all over it," he grinned up at her.

"Ah… no it most certainly does not!" Alec sat back and watched with amusement as Max drew herself up to her full height, cocking her hip to the side and resting her hands on her waist, preparing for a showdown.

"Did you, or did you not, give away my apartment?" he asked casually, raising an eyebrow and leaning further back into the coach, folding his arms behind his head.

Max stared stubbornly back at him, refusing to answer a question they both knew the answer to.

"Which now makes us roomies." Alec held up his hand as Max opened her mouth to argue. "But if you're not prepared to let me crash on your couch…" he continued, pinning her with a heated look, "then it'll have to be bed-buddies."

Max suddenly felt the air rush out of her lungs, and a hot flush roll through her body. As she held his gaze she swore she could see a reflection in his eyes of _exactly_ what they could be doing as bed-buddies. And for half a second Max had to ask herself if that _wasn't_ the more appealing of the two options.

"Couch is fine," she squeaked as she hurried to her room and barricaded herself in, making Alec chuckle softly as he attempted to get comfortable on her lumpy couch. He now thought he had his answer.

* * *

_**A/N:** I hope that this was not too choppy and confusing. You have no idea how many times I rewrote this one. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, and for being so patient. I also wanna thank everyone who gave their opinions on how this should end - I think that I might be able to manage most of what you all suggested. I'm working on the next couple of chapters, hopefully they won't be far off. Could change though. I make no promises. Let me know what you think. Cheers :D_


	17. Recreation Time

_**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in posting, but work have called me to work a ton of extra days the last two weeks – plus I caught my housemate's cold and my net crashed for a couple of days. Sorry. _

**Recreation Time**

In the days that followed Alec kept his word, but Max decided he felt more like her shadow than her conjoined twin. She had initially assumed that this was going to be close to her definition of Hell. As much as she had missed Alec's company for those five days, Max was sure that having him follow her _everywhere_ was going to be just as bad - because ordinarily Alec talked incessantly, or he jiggled, or he hummed or he made inappropriate remarks. Plus he was trying to control her, and Max _hated_ that more than anything. But instead she found he was quiet, respectful; and while he always kept her in his line of sight he tried to give her her space where he could. Mostly.

She had to admit that this wasn't what she had expected from Alec in the very beginning when he had first laid down this… behavioural management programme, as he liked to call it. She had expected him to enjoy antagonising her, to preach at her, and generally take pleasure in her discomfort. But he genuinely seemed to want her to take care of herself with as little interference from himself as possible. If this truly was about the struggle for power between them, then shouldn't he be trying to exert his at every opportunity?

It got to the point where Max often forgot that there was a reason why they were always together, because it felt natural. Mostly.

She found that their little feud – or rather their little reprieve – had resulted in a closeness that she had not expected. They seemed to have both said what they needed to say, and now were trying to maintain the fragile peace they had found, neither willing to shatter their ceasefire and risk another hostile standoff. Not only were they both making an effort not to fight, but they were making more of an effort to actually be civil to each other. Although Max was beginning to wish that Alec would make less of an effort.

Max was pretty sure that she wasn't imagining how overly attentive Alec now seemed to be towards her. Suddenly he was more helpful, more polite, more lingering, more…_there_. Every time she turned around he was in her personal space, leaning over her shoulder, sitting too close, breathing on her. And when he wasn't doing that he was passing her something and letting his hand brush hers, or guiding her through a door with his hand on the small of her back, or looking at her – he was _always_ looking at her. She could feel his eyes on her constantly and it was almost as bad as if he _had_ touched her.

"Hey Max, come with me, I have a surprise for you." Alec said from her doorway as he shifted from foot-to-foot anxiously.

"Can't it wait? I'm in the middle of something." Max feinted annoyance, but they both knew that she didn't really mean it.

"Nope, life or death," Alec grinned, clapping his hands together.

Max took in his appearance. He was wearing a pair of navy cargo pants that she could just tell hung low on his narrow hips, and a grey t-shirt that highlighted all the right areas; but it was the air of excitement that surrounded him and the light in his eyes that had her curious.

Max pushed her chair back, "Fine, let's go, before you explode and leave a nasty mess all over my office."

Alec fell into step beside her, but Max could tell that he was having trouble not grabbing her elbow and propelling her to --

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Max stopped dead in her tracks, turning towards him. "No I won't. Not if I refuse to move a step further. I want to know what's going on."

"It's a surprise."

"I don't like surprises," Max replied seriously – and it was true, she really didn't like them much. She found they usually turned out badly. Like _'Surprise! You have a clone',_ or _'Surprise! You have a deadly virus,'_ or '_Surprise! Your dead brother is a cyborg with no memory who wants to kill your boyfriend.'_ Yeah, surprises really weren't her thing.

"Oh, come on Max. It's a good one," Alec promised in a slightly whiny voice.

"You know, I think I hear my paperwork calling me," Max said casually, turning around to retrace her steps back to her office.

Alec's hand shot out and grabbed her gently above the elbow. "Fine. We've both been working pretty hard. I thought we could use some recreation time to blow off a bit of steam."

"And that's all?" she asked guardedly, raising an eyebrow and scrutinising his body language.

"Yep. Now will you come with me please?"

"Okay, but it better be fun," Max muttered.

Alec slung an arm over her shoulders casually, tucking her into his side as he started walking again. "Oh, I think that this might be right up your alley," he replied smugly. Max looked at Alec out of the corner of her eye suspiciously. He was up to something.

As they entered a building on the edge of T.C. Max couldn't help but gasp at what she saw. The once derelict building had been turned into a fully functioning gym, with matted areas, fitness equipment and a sparing area sectioned off with benches for spectators.

"How did you do all this?" Max turned to Alec in astonishment. She didn't need to ask who the coordinator of this little project was. It could only be him.

"I had a little help," Alec shrugged modestly.

"Why didn't anyone tell me what you were all doing?"

"Because everyone wanted it to be a surprise." Alec looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Everyone thinks that you work too hard around here Max. They wanted to do something for you for a change."

"Max! Max! Max!" Joshua barked as he leapt across to where she was standing, and engulfed her in a buoyant hug that threatened to smother her.

"_Air"_, Max gasped, as she clawed at his arms around her neck.

"Lil' Fella like new gym?"

"Yeah, I love it Josh." Max said as she attempted to extract herself from the dog-mans clutches.

"Max try out. Max and Alec try out," Josh declared enthusiastically as he started to pull her further into the room where everyone else appeared to be waiting for her; and there was a significant crowd Max noticed idly.

Max glared over her shoulder at a smiling Alec. "This is what you had in mind for some recreation time? You want me to work out in a gym?" she asked a little scathingly. "You do realise that any other girl would kick your ass for that insinuation alone."

Alec laughed heartily. "But you're not any other girl Max. Besides… you always use to get a thrill out of beating the crap outta me – in fact some would say you down right enjoyed it. I thought that you might want to relive old times by _trying_ to kick my ass like you used to."

Max raised a perfectly sculptured eyebrow at him and smiled sweetly. "I remember on more than one occasion that I did more than just _try_."

"Come on you two, quit your foreplay and get in the ring," Biggs interrupted as he approached, taking one of their elbows in each hand and leading them towards the sparing mats. "Your adorning public awaits."

"You set this up," Max accused. She now understood why there were so many people hanging around waiting for something. They were clearly waiting for T.C.'s leaders to go head to head in the ring.

"I most certainly did not. They arranged it all themselves. I had nothing to do with it." Alec replied innocently as he stood in the middle of the mats and waited for Max to join him.

"Sure, sure. Right, let's get this over with." Max shed her shoes and socks, and her shirt, leaving her in a singlet. Alec did the same, and as she turned around and took in his shirtless chest Max noticed that she had indeed been right, his cargo pants _were_ slug low on his hips.

Max raised her arms and began to circle Alec. As she watched him do the same a devious smile spread across her face and her eyes wandered south again, eyeing the front of his cargo pants and lingering. "Are there any rules?" she purred innocently.

Alec felt his apprehension spike as he remembered the last time Max had introduced herself to his crotch, and opened his mouth to comment. "No. No rules," Biggs declared from the sidelines with a chuckle that increased to a deep throated laugh as Alec gave him threatening look for selling him out.

Max continued to circle Alec, deciding to let him make the first move. She wanted to see how serious he was about winning. Were they really going to go all out, or was this just a bit of fun like he'd claimed?

Alec saw the look in Max's eye and knew that she was waiting for him to make the first move.

Max saw Alec's first punch coming a mile off and ducked easily, retaliating with one of her own. They continued like this and their style resembled something like it use to back at Manticore, both throwing punches that looked to be vicious, but that gave their opponent plenty of time to react and block.

Something on the sidelines caught Max's eye, distracting her, and the next moment she found her feet swept out from underneath her, and Alec's hard body pressed the length of hers holding her down.

"I'm insulted… you're not concentrating," Alec chastised as he loomed above her.

"Alec, they're betting on us!" she hissed up at him, straining against the arm that held her down across her chest.

"Well there isn't a lot of entertainment around here Max," he drawled as he looked to the sideline and saw Biggs taking money, before turning back to her. "And I mean, it's not as if we don't put on a show in your office every day."

Max's eyes narrowed dangerously. "How much?"

Alec's eyes widened "What?" his tone innocent. Too innocent Max concluded.

"How much did you bet?"

"Who me?" he grinned charmingly.

"Alec, how much did you bet?" Max ground out slowly.

"Enough," he said rolling his eyes; he could hear voices from the sidelines getting angry that they were still on the floor.

Max gave his shoulders a hard shove. "I can't believe you bet against me!"

"Ah, but I didn't Max," Alec beamed.

Max stilled in his arms. "You bet against yourself? Nobody would be stupid enough to take that bet... not even Biggs"

"I didn't bet against myself either," he said with a grin that told Max exactly how pleased he was with himself at the moment.

"Then what _did_ you bet on?"

Alec smirked and then leaned down and whispered into Max's ear, sending a shiver down her spine as his breath caressed her neck. He pulled back and grinned at her, trying to read her expression.

A small smile spread across Max's face before she grabbed his arms and flipped him over her head and off her. Both jumped nimbly to their feet and faced off once again.

They both fought the other hard, relentlessly throwing punches and volleys, but neither with the intent of harming the other. This was a well scripted battle for show. Both knew the other and their fighting style well enough that they could throw hard and fast and the other would always see it coming - to the point where even their fellow transgenics had trouble discerning a fighting punch from a faux punch.

"How long is this going to take?" Max hissed at Alec forty-five minutes later.

"It takes as long as it takes, Max. Besides, why the hurry? This is what could be considered quality time for us," he grinned at her as he ducked a punch.

A sly devious smile flashed across Max's face before she flew at him, swinging her leg in an arc and attempting to kick him in the chest, but Alec saw it coming and caught her leg, lifting it up sharply, forcing her into a back flip. Max landed soundly and immediately ducked the fist that came at her face, sweeping Alec's legs out from underneath him in the same move, causing him to land hard on his back. Alec immediately rolled to the side and swept his leg to the side, taking Max's footing out from underneath her, before swiftly covering her body with his once again, pinning her to the ground.

"You know Max, you really need to stop ending up underneath me, or people are gonna start to talk," Alec ginned down teasingly at her. He could feel her warm, soft flesh where it fused against his own as his weight pressed her into the mat beneath them.

Max continued to struggle underneath him, trying to free one of her legs but having difficulty, both of them pinned beneath one of Alec's muscled thighs. "From where I'm lying _you're_ the one that keeps trying to get me underneath you," Max gasped breathily, her chest heaving against Alec's.

Alec felt himself reacting to her words and breathy gasps, and while his pride swelled at the knowledge that he was the one causing those sounds, he also desperately wished they were partaking in a very different kind of physical activity.

And she was right. He _was_ trying to get her underneath him, and God did she feel good all warm and soft and moving. And ever since he had discovered that he could affect her, that she was aware of his physical proximity, and that he did have the power to make her shiver, or gasp or blush, he had been trying to elicit these responses from her as often as possible, because he just couldn't get enough of them.

He had been watching her too. He wanted to know exactly how and when she reacted to him, and more importantly what she thought of it all. He wanted her to realise exactly what reaction she had to him, and that she _did_ want him; because if there was anything that Alec knew it was that Max was the Grand Priestess of Denial.

Alec knew that given half a chance Max would simply dismiss her reaction to him as heartburn or indigestion, or something equally as silly. He wanted to give her a chance to come to terms with these new feelings before he attempted anything more... direct.

"I told you that I wanted to keep you close," Alec whispered roughly, extending her arms further above her head so he could lie more directly over her. He needed to make her stop squirming, otherwise he feared his reaction to her might _really_ provoke a fight.

"I'd call this going beyond the call of duty." Max's eyes flicked downward to take in their current unconventional position, before coming back to meet his intense gaze with a sly smile.

"It's okay, I don't mind suffering for a good cause."

"You're so self-sacrificing," Max replied dryly, chuckling softly.

"I'm prepared to go to any lengths," Alec replied seriously, not taking his eyes off her, and Max watched in fascination as his eyes darkened.

"Well, you've certainly proven that you're prepared to go to any lengths to cop a feel."

"And yet you don't seem to be protesting too vigorously there Max. In fact if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were enjoying this." His voice was deep and smooth and his eyes were veiled and vaguely hooded, and Max felt all the air leave her lungs. She felt her blood heat and her mouth go dry, her tongue darting out to wet her lips - and that's when she knew. How she hadn't seen it before she didn't know, but Max saw it clearly now. She wanted Alec.

She watched Alec watching her, and as she licked her lips she watched his eyes follow the movement and his pupils dilate, and she could see it in his eyes. How she hadn't seen it before she didn't know, but Max saw it clearly now. Alec _knew_ that she wanted him, and she suspected that he had for some time now.

In one swift movement Max rolled, catching Alec off guard and reversing their positions. Only there was far less space separating them now, her shorter arms made her lean more fully into him, bringing her face only centimetres from his as she held his arms above his head.

"Yeah, well I enjoy being on top much more," she breathed down huskily at him, a slow seductive smile blossoming, her hair curtaining around them.

From her position perched on top of him, Max felt Alec suck in a deep gasp of air and all his muscles tensed beneath her. His eyes were locked on her face and she could tell her flirtatious position and remark had affected him, and she was pleased – it was about time she got some of her own back.

"Are you flirting with me Max?"

"Maybe. It's been so long since I did it. I think I've forgotten how..."

Alec looked down at their new position with interest and grinned. "You know Max, I'm starting to see that you might have some control issues." However, Max didn't have a chance to reply before he flipped her over his head, and they both bounced to their feet, once again facing off.

Alec threw a quick punch, so quick Max barely had time to avoid it, causing her to lose her balance slightly. Alec took advantage of her vulnerable position, pinning bother her wrists in one of his large hands behind her back and hauling her against his front. From this position Max couldn't find enough leverage to free her hands, allowing him to keep her trapped against his solid chest.

"You're so tense Max. Don't you get tired of always having to be the one in control all the time? Don't you just wish that you could surrender it to someone else for once?" He asked quietly, leaning down to her slightly as he spoke so that no one else in the room could hear them.

"And I suppose you're the right the man for the job?" she bit back.

"You could do a lot worse," Alec replied matter-of-factly.

"You couldn't handle me."

Alec looked down at their position deliberately, like that was all the evidence he needed.

"And again, you don't seem to be minding too much," Alec replied amused.

"You are so full of yourself."

"I have reason to be. I've never had any complaints. In fact I come highly recommended."

Max snorted. "Yeah, and again, I might catch something."

It was at that moment that a loud buzzing noise came from the sidelines. Both Max and Alec snapped their heads around to see what all the commotion was about. They both turned back to each other and grinned at what they saw.

Biggs was on the sidelines surrounded by a swarm of angry transgenics all clamouring to get their money back. "Hey, a bet is a bet," Biggs shouted as he tried to fend them off, "you don't get your money back when the outcome deviates from the one that you put money on, or else it wouldn't be a bet now would it?"

There was a loud grumbling sound from the crowd as they all turned to complain to one another as they started to disperse.

Biggs sighed in relief, turning to Max and Alec. "Man, I thought that that was gonna turn ugly for a minute."

"And you would have been on your own," Max replied cheerfully. "Now hand over the mullah."

Biggs looked at Max's outstretched hand and then met her demanding gaze. "Technically no one won."

Max simply looked at Alec and raised her eyebrows.

"Biggs my man, maybe you need to go get checked out 'cause that infallible memory of yours seems to be failing. I distinctly remember you taking a bet that put the outcome at a deadlock."

"Both of you were holding back," Biggs argued.

"So?" Max questioned challengingly, stepping forward to get in Biggs' face.

Biggs took a step backwards. "So, that goes against the rules of a far fight."

"I thought there were no rules?" Alec challenged evilly. "Hand over the money man, before I let her loose on your ass," Alec threatened as Max took another menacing step in Biggs' direction, a wicked smile lighting up her face.

Biggs gulped before stepping closer to Alec and reached into his pocket for the cash. "I can't believe that you sold me out, dude. What happened to 'Bro's before Ho's?'"

Alec shot a sideways glance at Max and noted the murderous look on her face. "Run man, run!" Alec shouted as Biggs' eyes got impossibly wide before he turned and sprinted out the door.

When Alec turned back to Max he found her bent over with her hands on her knees laughing hysterically.

"I'm glad that you find this amusing," Alec grumbled, "'cause he's never gonna let me forget that I sided with you."

"Please, you can handle Biggs," Max said, as she straightened and took the money Alec offered her.

"Not a bad mornings work," Max noted as she counted her half.

"Come on," Alec said as he slung an arm over her shoulder and started to lead her out of the building, "we have work to do."

* * *

_**A/N: **__Okay people, I notice that there are a lot of you that are reading this story and I don't think that it is too much to ask for a few more reviews. All comments gratefully received. I'd like to know if I'm still doing a good job or if I've lost my mojo, cause as soon as that happens I'll wrap this baby up. On another note though, we have exceeded 40,000 words! Woo-hoo! I am trying to see an end in sight, but this story just keeps on growing. Please let me know if you think that this is getting tiresome.Thanks to all of you who are loyal reviewers!_


	18. Bon Appetit

_**A/N:** Since posting the last chapter it has come to my attention that I might not have been as clear as I should have been when explaining what happened. So for those of you who were confused here is a brief summary:_

_Alec finds out that Biggs is taking bets on the outcome of a fight between himself and Max. Knowing there is nothing he can do to stop it, Alec makes a wager he thinks he can both win, and that he hopes Max might not kill him for when she finds out about it. He knows Max well enough to realise that the outcome that would appeal to her most is one where she doesn't lose, but where everyone who has gambled on their fight does. Once she works out there is a bet he lets her in on what his wager was - a deadlock - which she then goes along with. They then fight pretending to give it their all; all the while neither of them is trying to get the upper hand, except in the little flirt-fest they have going on between them. Afterwards they both gang up on Biggs to extact the money from him, which Alec then splits with Max._

_If last chapter (or the above explanation) was too confusing please let me know and I will rewrite it and repost it._

* * *

**Bon Appétit **

As the days passed Max found herself falling into a routine with Alec – a very domestic routine. She would get up first and have a shower, and while she was getting dressed Alec would have his. They'd then both make their way down and have breakfast together whilst discussing the issues they needed to resolve that day, before heading to H.Q. While Max found it comfortable, she wasn't comfortable _with_ it.

It was weird and she couldn't explain it, but when she was around Alec, Max found that she could be herself totally and unabashedly and it was relaxing, and easy, and she felt light, and sometimes she had trouble remembering if it had ever been like this with anyone else. But at the same time Alec put her on edge, made her self-conscious, and awkward, and completely aware of him.

These opposing feelings warred within her constantly. One minute they would both be laughing and suddenly all she would be aware of was the sound of his gravely laugh and the way he would throw back his head to let the sound out. Or they would be sitting in her office both doing their own paperwork and suddenly all she could concentrate on was him. She would feel his eyes on her, but whenever she looked up to catch him he would be absorbed in his paperwork, and after that she wouldn't be able to focus on anything except his presence, which once she aware of seemed to make the air surrounding her thicker and heavier all of a sudden.

If she didn't know any better Max would have said that Alec was unaware of the effect that he had over her, but she _did _know better. He knew all right - at least up to a point - but he just acted so casual and blasé, like it was normal. And it gave Max an insight into what it could potentially be like between them, how easy it could be. And she found that she was thinking about that more and more lately. What it would be like to have someone that way – have Alec that way.

But was he serious? Was this just a bit of fun for him? He had promised to stick to her like a growth and he had done exactly that; but was that part of the reason? Was it because he had limited options available to him at the moment, and knowing she had no other suitors made him think she might be easy to persuade into his bed – well, her couch actually, seeing as she had reallocated _his_ bed. Maybe she should have thought that one through a little more in hindsight…

And Max now felt confident in the knowledge that she too had the power to affect him. Not that she should have been surprised by that fact – she had always known the power she wielded over men as a sex; although she had never really understood it. Sure, she got that she looked a particular way, and that that way seemed to appeal to every man on the planet, but she had always suspected that Alec might be the exception, because while he did make lewd and suggestive remarks to her, she had never thought of them as him issuing an invitation. She had always just assumed that he was mocking her and trying to rile her up. But after their simulated fight the other day and the way he acted and reacted, and the words that had come out of his mouth and his response to those she had spoken, Max thought she might have got it more wrong than she had first thought.

But it was hard to distinguish between what was real and what was just a by-product of this game they were both currently playing; because as much as Alec had maintained that this wasn't a game in the very beginning, it was now. _'The Rules'_ might still be in effect, but the game was being played very differently now, only Max no longer understood what they were playing for. All she knew was that Alec was focused on her abiding by _'The Rules'_ above all else, and trying to get a reaction out of her second.

Max had to admit that when the man set himself a task he really didn't deviate. It was getting to the point where Max felt like the only thing that she did was work, eat and sleep, work, eat and sleep. Frankly she was getting sick of it real quick. Alec was making her eat so often that the thought of food now made her nauseous.

"Max, you haven't touched your breakfast," Alec chided softly.

"What are you talking about? I've had half a cup of coffee and some eggs," she complained, as she slouched over the table.

"You have not. You've just spread them across your plate to make it look like you have. Next thing you'll be trying to feed them to Josh under the table."

Max threw him a dirty look. "Like I said, I've had half a cup of coffee, and at this time of the morning that's the only food group I'm interested in."

"Maaxxxx…." Alec warned teasingly.

"I'm not hungry Alec," she snapped a little more forcefully. She was all for keeping the peace, but only up to a point.

"But breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Says who?"

"Uh…I don't know really," Alec said, his brow pinching in confusion, "someone's mother…I think."

"Why does it matter how much I eat for breakfast? You're just going to drag me back down here and force feed me again in another couple of hours," Max pouted.

"You hardly eat anything at lunch either, Max," Alec frowned.

"That's because six hours ago you force fed me breakfast, and in six hours time I know you'll force feed me dinner. I'm just not hungry Alec," Max whined. "And besides, the food's really not all that appealing, and it's not like I'm fading away!" she scoffed.

Alec looked at Max slightly panicked as a terrifying thought occurred to him. "You're not, _not_ eating because of your weight… are you Max?" he asked, eyeing her like at any moment she might suddenly sprout a second head.

Like most meagre men, women and their issues with food was the one thing Alec wasn't good at dealing with, and frankly left him slightly terrified – as did menstrual cycles, babies, and the thought of Mole in drag. He'd been out with dozens of women and ALL of them had had hang-ups about their weight and food, and after all this time he was still clueless.

Max noted the look on Alec's face and couldn't help but to laugh…and laugh…and laugh.

"What's so funny?" Alec grumbled.

Max was trying to calm her still heaving sides. "Oof…" she gasped, wiping the tears from her eyes, "you should…have seen…your…face," she gasped.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alec huffed.

"You seriously think that I have enough time to dedicate to an eating disorder? You've been hangin' with Ordinary women too long. I have more serious problems than my waistline," Max replied, a little offended that he thought she could be so shallow.

"Although, you might have a point," Max reconsidered slowly, a mischievous glint in her eye that Alec didn't see as she looked down at herself speculatively and pulled her shirt away from her stomach, "My clothes do feel a bit tighter. Maybe a diet wouldn't be such a bad thing…"

"Don't even joke about it," Alec warned, his eyes widening at the thought that it was now _his_ fault that Max was considering something as terrifying as a diet.

"Those celebrity diets seem to work. I might try the Orange Diet first…" Max mused out loud, trying to hide her smile as Alec's look somehow became more panicked. "I mean that should work, 'cause I'd only be able to eat carrots, and oranges and Cheetos…" Max said seriously as she checked the things she would be able to eat off on her fingers. "Although on second thoughts, Cheetos do have a high fat content…"

"You're not funny Max," Alec warned, his voice slightly strained.

"No you're right, I'm hilarious," she said as they both got up and left the table. Max suddenly stopped in the middle of the room and cocked a hip, giving Alec a perfect view of her derrière, her voice innocent but her look anything but. "Does my bum look big in this?"

oOoOoOoOo

As Alec sat on the other side of H.Q. he couldn't concentrate on the papers he was supposed to be concentrating on. All he could think about was a certain brunette and how his relationship with her had changed in the least couple of days. In a matter of months they had gone from semi-friendly work colleges who tolerated each other, to very friendly work colleagues who flirted. Even now he couldn't quite wrap his head around how it had all happened. All that he knew was that he was going to do all in his power to keep it moving in the right direction – forward.

Alec stole a glance across the room at her. He would never admit it out loud but he had chosen this particular seat for a reason - it gave him an unhindered view right into Max's office. He could casually flick his eyes up from his papers and look directly at her sitting at her desk.

Right now he could see her talking animatedly into the phone and it made him smile. Not only because she was talking with her hands to a person who couldn't see her, or because her cheeks were a flushed pink colour because of her agitated state, or the fact that she was rubbing her neck in a way that gave him a very nice view. No, he was smiling because he could tell that at any second she was gonna let the poor sucker on the other end of that line have it.

As well as things appeared to be going between them, Alec was concerned. He was ready to jump into whatever this ended up being with Max, but he wasn't convinced that she was. Sure, she was showing interest, accepting his cautious advances and even encouraging him by flirting back on occasion, but was this really what she wanted? Maybe this was just her confused? Maybe this was just her accepting whatever attention was lavished upon her; because as far as he could see that's exactly what had happened with all her previous relationships.

Max seemed to move at the pace of an immortal when it came to relationships – like she had the rest of eternity to make something happen. And when she did allow things to progress she seemed to pick safe guys; guys who were non-threatening, and persistent, and who tippy-toed around her. And while he thought he might be some of those things, he was pretty certain that Max did not see him as safe. She might be willing to trust him with her life, but Alec was positive that she was not about to trust him with her heart anytime soon.

Alec also had a fair idea of just how long it had been for Max, and he wasn't unconvinced that that wasn't a mitigating factor in her apparent interest either. Alec couldn't imagine what it must be like to not have had any real emotional or physical contact with another person in so many years, but he had to assume that it would make her more inclined to look favourably on such an offering, regardless of who offered it.

Alec decided that there was nothing much else that he could do except to keep things moving slowly forward and let them progress as they would. Alec didn't want to get his hopes up, but this morning _had_ given him hope; after all, for a woman who hated men looking at her as a sexual object Max had given him a very tantalising view of her ass this morning. A memory Alec would make sure to relive often.

oOoOoOoOo

"Hey Max, you ready for dinner?"

Max looked up and was unsurprised to see Alec leaning against her door frame.

Max groaned loudly. "Not more food Alec, please!"

"I think that you might like dinner tonight."

"Alec, I'm really not hungry."

"Are you sure?" he asked in a teasing way.

"Ah, yeah, pretty sure," Max replied dryly, rolling her eyes.

"What if I asked you properly?" Alec said slowly.

Max raised her eyebrows and looked at him in confusion.

Alec met her gaze and held it as he walked across the room and came to stand before her. "Max, will you please accompany me to dinner?"

Max looked at him in surprise before her gaze drifted down to his outstretched hand. Well that was…surprising.

"Please Max. Trust me?"

As she looked at him Max realised that this was the first time that Alec had honestly asked her to trust him, and that her answer to this question was more important than the answer to any question he had previously ever asked her.

She rose from her chair and placed her hand in his. "I'll at least come and push something pretending to be food around my plate, but I'm not promising anything else," she warned.

"That's my girl," Alec grinned, as he led her out of the room. He dropped her hand as he ushered her through the door before catching up to her and draping an arm over her shoulders.

"Where are we going?" Max asked, as he suddenly took a turn that led them away from the _'Dining Room',_ as Alec affectionately called the Mess Hall.

"I have an unexpected, by very delightful occasion organised."

"A surprise." Max stated flatly, her steps faltering.

"No, not a surprise," Alec replied, tightening his arm around her and towing her along. "I know you don't like surprises."

"Well it certainly _sounds_ like a surprise," Max muttered.

"Nope, a surprise is definitely not what this is," Alec stated emphatically, as he opened the door to her apartment.

As the door opened Max gasped at what she saw. In the middle of her apartment was a small table and two chairs, but what made Max gape was how different it all looked. The table was laid out elaborately with a white table cloth, two plates, and a candle in the centre next to a single pale yellow rose.

As Max stepped into the room to take a closer look Alec let his arm slip from around her shoulders as he followed her in and shut the door behind them.

Max just stood in the middle of the room staring until she suddenly turned to face Alec. "What is all this?"

"What can I say? We eat three meals a day together, and lately I get the impression that you're dissatisfied... and I never leave a woman dissatisfied," Alec promised meaningfully, as he walked to the table and held out her chair for her. As Max allowed him to push her chair in Alec leant down and whispered in her ear, " Plus, I didn't want the romance to fade."

Max chuckled at his antics. "So what's on the menu? Reconstituted mashed potatoes? Canned corn? Spam?"

"You seriously think that I would feed you that?" Alec asked, a little miffed.

"You do every night," Max pointed out.

"Okay, true… but tonight is different."

Max watched as Alec went to the oven, put oven-mitts on, and pulled something out and put the tray in the middle of the table. Max grinned; not only because he was just too adorable for words with oven-mitts on, but because of what he was carrying.

"And here's one I prepared earlier," Alec joked.

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"Exactly what I would have _killed_ for. I've been craving a pizza with everything for weeks," Max declared as she reached for a slice and took a bite.

Alec grinned as he returned to the table with two bottles of beer, and heard Max groan in contentment.

Max took the bottle he offered, raised it to him in toast, and took a long swig. "Maybe the rumours are true. Maybe you _are _a God," she said, smiling at him as she picked up her pizza again.

"In more ways than you know," Alec chuckled, as he took a generous bite of his own slice.

oOoOoOoOo

"So, clearly I have nothing to worry about," Alec chuckled as he took in their empty plates.

"I told you there was nothing wrong with me."

"I'm not sure that I would go _that_ far," Alec joked, and began to laugh as Max pulled a face at him.

"You know, I don't think that I have ever met a woman whose diet of choice consists solely of fast-food," Alec mused, as he stood and began to clean up.

Max stood to help him. "Well you're obviously not hanging out with the right sort of women."

"I'm beginning to see that," Alec muttered as he started rinsing plates.

After they had both finished clearing up they leant against the kitchen counter shoulder to shoulder in silence.

"Hey Alec," Max said hesitatingly, as she glanced up from the floor to look at him. "Thanks for dinner…you didn't have to."

"I know." He replied quietly, looking at her. "I wanted to."

"Well thanks. It was really sweet." She suddenly leant up and kissed him on the cheek.

Alec's eyes widened in shock before he relaxed and grinned, throwing an arm over her shoulders and pulling her against him. "It was my pleasure Maxie. What d'ya say we crack open another beer and chill on the couch for a while?"

"Sounds like the best plan I've heard all day." Max grinned back, giving him a light nudge with her shoulder.

* * *

_**A/N: **You know the drill - Please review :D_


	19. Is That A Gun In Your Pocket?

_**A/N:**__ I want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter: __vintage.soul494__, __Chica De Los Ojos Cafe__, __452max__, __Katie 452__, __darkaznangel452__, __recicup__, __MythStar Black Dragon__, __Dawns Heart__, __browncoatgirl__, __quirkys__._

_This chapter is in response to a prompt I received a couple of weeks ago from Dark Roswellian Angel. Hope this is something like you had in mind Hon ;)_

_Warning: swearing_

* * *

**Is That A Gun In Your Pocket?**

"Hey Max."

Max looked up to see Alec in her doorway. "Hey, what's up?"

"I have something that I want to show you."

"And what would that be?" Max smiled, as she subtly ran her eyes over him. She had been doing this more and more lately, taking advantage of the situation Alec presented her with, seeing as though he always insisted on posing in a very model-like way against her doorframe. Today he had on a black t-shirt and a pair of very snug fitting jeans, and Max noted, not for the first time, that the man did not wear his jeans - his jeans wore _him_.

"It would be another spare of the moment, unscheduled, but very delightful activity."

"Another surprise?" she smiled, getting up and walking out of her office. "So where are we headed? Or is that classified information?"

Max noted idly that she could feel Alec's hand resting on the small of her back as he guided her. He had been touching her so regularly lately that half the time it took Max a while to realise, but once she had realised she couldn't help the sparks of awareness that coursed through her.

"Classified information," Alec grinned. "I just thought you needed to take time out to smell the roses."

Max grinned and looked up at him. "You bought me flowers?"

"Nope, something much better," Alec smiled back.

"I don't know…I kinda want the flowers. No one has ever bought me flowers before," Max teased, only half joking.

Alec laughed at her cute little pout. "Well try and get over the disappointment, 'cause it's not flowers."

Max looked around and noted the direction in which they were headed. "Are you taking me to the school?"

"Maybe," Alec replied conspiratorially.

As they walked down the alley and through the front door Max was surprised to note how quiet the building was, considering it was supposed to be filled with children. Admittedly there weren't that many pupils yet, but that number was sure to grow.

It wasn't until she crossed the threshold and turned around to see why Alec hadn't followed her that Max suddenly realised why the room was so quiet – it was an ambush. Suddenly the sound of gunfire echoed around the room as bullets flew in all directions. Max felt herself get hit four times – once in the shoulder, twice in the chest and once in the gut.

As she looked at herself in shock, her hand wandered down of its own accord to finger the wetness that was now staining her shirt and dripping onto the concrete, and Max felt an irrational burst of laughter bubble to the surface. She quickly suppressed it before turning to face her four attackers, who were still standing pressed up against the wall inside the doorway, watching her warily.

Max quickly flashed a devious smile and placed her finger to her lips to indicate they should remain silent before beginning to yell at the top of her lungs in the most menacing tone she could muster.

"AND WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK YOU'RE DOING? FIRING ON A SUPIRIOR OFFICER! WHY I OUGHTA –

"Hey, hey!" Alec yelled, as he suddenly jogged through the door. "Don't yell at them it was --"

Max gave the signal. A barrage of bullets was released, and Alec looked down in shock at the sticky mess now dripping off his chest.

"All your idea?" Max asked innocently, as she smiled evilly at the fluoro coloured mess on Alec's black shirt. Those paintballs were gonna stain.

Alec's eyes rose to meet Max's smiling ones. Alec chuckled, "Why you little --"

"Me!? You're the one that lured me down here with the express intention of getting my ass shot up! You can't get your knickers in a knot when you get bested at your own game," Max grinned, very pleased with herself.

"I can assure you that my knickers are not in a knot," Alec smirked darkly, "I haven't got any on."

Max gaped at him in astonishment. "I can't believe you just said that in front of the children," she hissed, shooting them a sideways glance.

Alec's eyes strayed to the four ten and eleven year olds still standing at attention staring back at them. "They're hardly children Max," Alec pointed out.

"In _that_ respect I hope they are," Max whispered. "Besides, no one here needs to know exactly what state of… undress, you're in."

"Oh, come on Max," Alec purred as he began to slink in her direction. "We both know you're more than a little interested."

Max began to back up. For every step he took in her direction she took one away, making sure to maintain some distance between them.

"Are you seriously this arrogant, or do you put it on just to annoy me?"

"I'm not arrogant, I'm just perfect. A universal truth I think everyone should be aware of."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that pride is a cardinal sin, Alec?"

"It's only pride when it is an exaggeration of the truth. I'm just being honest," he grinned.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that's _not_ how it works," Max replied sceptically, but Alec didn't pay her any attention.

"Plus with all the sins that I've already committed, and plan to commit in the future…" he purred, raking his eyes up and down Max like he was undressing her and preparing to consume her whole, "I doubt I'm Heaven material."

Max swallowed heavily. She highly doubted he was anything _other_ than heaven inducing.

Alec chuckled. "You know Max, last time I checked lust was a cardinal sin too," his eyes flashing dangerously as he continued to advance on her. "What d'ya say we forget Heaven and fall from grace together?"

Alec was more than a little shocked when a wide smile spread across Max's face and she chuckled darkly. "Careful what you wish for..."

Max suddenly turned and issued an order with her hands, which was immediately obeyed by the pintsized soldier closest to her, throwing her his gun. The next thing Alec felt was a sharp sting as two shots hit him in the exact same spot on his chest.

"Godammit Max! That's gonna bruise!"

"Poor baby," she laughed as she ran off.

"Oh you will be, baby!" he yelled after her, as he caught the gun that was flung at him. "You two go re-arm, then approach H.Q. from the east. You two come with me, we'll take her from the west." Alec smirked. Victory was close at hand, he could tell.

oOoOoOoOo

Mole was minding his own business leaning over a map next to Dix in the middle of Headquarters when he was hit on the back of the head by something hard and wet.

"In the name of General McCarthy..." Mole yelled, as he put a hand to his head and found it covered in fluoro pink paint. "I've been shot!" he yelped in astonishment. "Who shot me!? Who shot me!! Someone had better own up or I'm gonna skin ya alive before I kill ya when I find out!" he roared, as he turned in the direction the shot had originated from.

"You? Of all the low, underhanded things… I thought you were one of the good ones!" Mole accused, livid.

Alec could do nothing but stand where he was in the middle of the doorway, flanked by his mini-troops. "I swear man, it wasn't me," Alec implored.

"Well you're the only idiot I see standin' there with a paint gun!"

"Yeah, but I didn't fire it!" Alec said, slightly panicked.

"Sure you didn't J.I. Joe," Mole spat as he stalked towards Alec. "You better be more careful in future, 'cause next time you're gonna be swallowing that gun, and I don't mean in the traditional way!" Mole roared, as he pushed past Alec and out of Headquarters.

Alec gave a huge sigh of relief as he looked around the room. "Man, I thought I was gonna end up as reptile food then."

It was then that Alec heard a soft gasping noise coming from behind the filing cabinet in the corner.

As he stalked over quietly and peered over the edge, he found Max sprawled on the floor crying with laughter.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"The…look…on your…face…," she laughed up at him, grabbing her heaving sides. "I thought you were gonna leave a big old mess in the middle of H.Q."

"I can't believe you framed me!" he accused.

"I didn't frame you," Max replied as she stood up and brushed herself down, "Mole just jumped to conclusions – not my fault." Max looked down at the mess on her shirt. "Well, now all the excitement is over, I'm gonna go and get cleaned up."

"You could have come to my defence," Alec muttered, as he followed her out of H.Q.

"And face Mole? No way!" she snorted.

"Hey Max?"

"Yeah?"

As soon as Max turned around she knew it was a mistake. Alec hit her twice before she could take cover behind a stack of boxes. The only thing that made her feel better was the fact that as she dived she managed to hit him once in the upper thigh.

"Fuck! Watch where you're shootin' Max!"

She chuckled evilly. "You started this little game Rambo. If you can't take the hits, get outta the war!"

All Max could hear was a bunch of disgruntled curses coming from Alec's direction. She suddenly opened fire on him before turning to make her escape out the door.

Max blurred through the streets before taking cover and laying in wait for him. She didn't have to wait long before she could hear him and his little band of cowboys approaching – trust Alec to corrupt the nation's youth.

She waited till she heard him get close enough, and opened fire. Max held the most advantageous position, but with one against three she was taking as many hits as they were. Then suddenly she felt herself under attack from the right. As she looked over she noticed that the numbers were now five against one. Max knew she didn't stand a chance if she remained this heavily out numbered. She needed to divide and conquer.

She sent a death inducing glare at the two mini-Alec's attacking her right side, and signalled that they were to step down. NOW!

They nodded once, and she immediately gave them new orders and sent them to the right while she ducked around to the left. Catching the eye of the soldier fighting on Alec's right she gave him the order to stand down.

She then ducked around the back and attacked Alec from the rear.

"Hey, guys? Where are you? I'm getting' my ass beat here," Alec yelled as he engaged Max.

"You ready to surrender yet, Alec?" Max laughed.

Never!" he yelled, as he fired a barrage of bullets.

Max ducked behind some boxes as suddenly bullets stoped flying and all she could hear was the familiar sound of an empty clip.

"Uh Alec, I think you might've run outta bullets," Max laughed, as she stepped calmly from behind the boxes to face him. "Wanna rethink that whole surrender thing?"

"I, ah…" Alec slowly backed up, and looked around himself frantically for his backup.

One by one they appeared and came to stand beside Max.

Alec took in his defecting troops, before staring in confusion at Max. "What did you do to them?"

"I don't know what you mean," Max smiled sweetly.

"Guys? You turned traitor on me?"

All four looked at each other a little guiltily, before the largest boy spoke. "Sorry Alec, but she's heaps scarier than you."

"Yeah, Max assigns the worst chores when she gets mad," the smallest piped up.

Alec opened his month to argue before shutting it. "You're right," he sighed, "I woulda done the same thing. I surrender." He said, giving a meaningful look at Max before dropping his weapon.

"And we are _ALL_ witnesses to that fact," Max smirked happily, before turning to her newest recruits. "Now can you four please take the weapons back and store them properly before going to get cleaned up."

"Yes, Max!" they yelled in unison, before blurring away.

Max chuckled as she watched them disappear from sight, before turning back and inspecting the mess on her shirt again. "Which is what I am going to go and do right now," Max muttered, as she started walking towards their apartment.

Alec jogged to catch up with her. "You know we could get cleaned up together," he suggested slyly. "I'm pretty sure that I have some paint in places that I won't be able to reach on my own," he said waggling his eyebrows at her. "I might need some specialist help."

Max stole a glance at him and suppressed a smile. He was indeed covered, literally head-to-toe, in splotches of pink, green, yellow and blue paint. She was pretty sure that he even had some in his ear. "Then I suggest you go back to Mole on your hands and knees and beg forgiveness," Max replied seriously.

"Uh…not _exactly_ the scenario I had in mind," Alec muttered. "You know most women would be falling over themselves to take up that offer."

"Well, as you have already pointed out Alec, I am not most women," Max replied, as she opened the door to the apartment and stalked inside. Max walked directly into the bathroom and shut the door firmly.

"I knew there had to be a down side to that, and I think that I just found it," Alec groused to himself.

While Max was in the shower Alec perched himself on a stool in the kitchen to wait his turn, and looked longingly at the couch. He knew that if he flopped himself down on it and accidentally smudged paint on it Max would have an aneurism, and then she would somehow find a way to inflict one on himself. So Alec waited less than patiently for her to emerge from the bathroom. He found that he had trouble not listening to the sounds coming from within and imagining _exactly _what Max was doing in there.

Alec was so lost in his visualisations that he failed to notice anything until a very wet, and what looked to be semi-naked Max, stuck her head out of the bathroom door.

"Dammit Alec! What sorta paint did you put in those paint guns!?"

"Uh…just the usual," he hedged. To be honest the paint balls _had_ looked a little old, but he had figured that as long as they shot and splattered there was nothing wrong with using them.

"Well it's not coming off! I still look like an Easter Egg!"

"Well… that's not such a bad thing to be, if you have to be something," Alec rationalised. "Everybody loves Easter Eggs, and they taste good, and you do make a very cute Easter Egg," he said with a smirk, taking in her multi-coloured hair and skin. "But you might wanna come out here further and show me properly…just to make sure." The least amount of clothes Alec had ever seen Max in was a singlet and jeans, and he seriously just wanted one glance at her all wet and in her towel.

"If you value your life, you'll go and find something to remove this paint!" Max yelled, as she pulled her head back into the bathroom and slammed the door hard enough that the whole apartment shook.

oOoOoOoOo

Upon his return, Alec found Max sitting on the stool at the kitchen bench. "Here try this," he said, sitting a bottle down in front of her. "It's the best I could do. It should take the paint off with a bit of rubbing."

"Thanks," Max said, as she slid off the stool and went to a draw in the kitchen. She pulled out an old tea towel and proceeded to rip it in half before handing half to Alec. She walked over to the kitchen wall and leaned her back against it and gracefully slid down it to sit on the floor. She then looked up at Alec and patted the space beside her.

Alec plonked down beside her and watched as she grabbed the bottle of Metho and unscrewed the lid, before putting the cloth over the neck and upending the bottle. She then proceeded to extend her left arm and rub the cloth on a bright green splotch on her forearm.

Max smiled as the paint steadily began to dissolve. She was thankful because she was covered from head-to-toe, the paint even having bled through her clothes to stain her skin.

"Thank God! I thought I was gonna look like a packet of M&M's threw up on me for the rest of my life."

Alec picked up his piece of cloth and covered it in the nasty smelling spirit before scrubbing at his arms. His attention was suddenly drawn to Max as she extended her legs in one fluid motion out in front of herself, and started scrubbing her upper thigh. It was then that Alec realised that she only had on a singlet and a pair of very short shorts. He had never seen Max's bare legs before, and they were just as perfect as the rest of her.

When she'd finished Max stood and moved towards the bathroom.

"Ah, Max…" Alec said, as he stood.

"What?"

He walked over to her and ran his fingertips over her bare shoulders. "You do realise that your back still looks like a gay pride float exploded all over it?" he said, smiling softly.

"Damn," she muttered as she craned her neck, trying to see over her shoulder.

"Come here," he said, as he grabbed the cloth and bottle and went to sit on the stool again. Max walked over and stood in front of him. Alec reached out and gently turned her so that her back was to him.

He started removing the paint on the back of her arms first, before moving to the plains of her back that her singlet left exposed. He then let his hands wander down to the hem of her shirt and gently began to lift. He felt Max stiffen but she didn't object, which surprised Alec. Not that long ago she would have pitched a fit about him being so presumptuous, but clearly no more. As he worked his way further up her back Alec held her shirt bunched up out of the way in his left hand. It wasn't until he was working high up in the centre of her back that Alec suddenly realised that she clearly hadn't put her bra back on after her shower. Something that made him swallow heavily.

After running his eyes over her back in a final sweep to make sure that he hadn't missed any paint he released her shirt, and smoothed it back down into place.

"Finished?" Max asked.

"Not quite."

Max felt Alec put both hands on her hips, he pushed gently until she took a step forward. She then felt him slip from the stool and kneel behind her. She couldn't hear him move, but somehow she sensed him, and she stood not breathing as she tried to follow his movements behind her.

Alec heard Max suck in a sharp gasp of air as he very lightly brushed his fingertips over a splotch of paint on the back of her thigh. He looked up briefly to see if this time she was going to put a stop to this, but as she remained still and was apparently permitting him to continue, he did just that.

Alec spied a bright blue patch peeking from high up under her shorts. He only thought about it for a split second before carefully raising the material and lightly rubbing the cloth against her skin. He tried to keep his mind on the task at hand and his eyes off her ass, which was not helped by the fact that it was presently at eyeball level. He was also having difficulty not deliberating on whether she was _entirely _without underwear. From where he was sitting it was a distinct possibility

"Alec?" Max gasped breathily. This whole situation was starting to get a bit concerning from where she was barely standing – she was having to clutch the bench top to keep herself upright. After all, here she was standing in the middle of her kitchen, in barely any clothing, letting Alec put his hands all over her. At the present moment his hands were about half an inch below her ass, and she could feel his warm breath on the backs of her legs. She needed him to hurry this up.

Max felt Alec stand. "You're all good now," he murmured huskily, over her shoulder.

"Thanks," Max whispered back, as she walked unsteadily in the direction of the bathroom and softly shut the door behind her.

When she stepped out of the bathroom ten minutes later Max stoped dead in her tracks at what she saw. There stood Alec right where she had left him in the middle of the kitchen, but this time he was shirtless and rubbing at a spot of bright pink paint on his stomach.

She didn't hesitate long before she walked over to stand in front of him and picked up her discarded cloth again, soaking it in the Mentholated Spirits.

Alec stopped what he was doing to watch her. Max met his gaze and gave him a small smile before dropping them. It was then that a bruise in the centre of his chest caught her eye. She reached her fingers out and touched it lightly before she realised what she was doing.

Max quickly looked up at him with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Sorry."

Alec chuckled down at her. "I told you that was gonna bruise. I have to hand it to you Max, you're a good shot."

Max chuckled too as she stepped behind him and admired his broad back. She had to admit that while his front was very impressive, his muscled back was just as striking, even covered in fluoro spots.

Max took a deep breath and tentatively placed a steadying hand on Alec's back as she began rubbing at a bright yellow spot.

Alec was standing very still, concentrating on following her touches as they moved across his skin. He had to admit that he had been kinda surprised that Max was volunteering to help him out like this. The old Max would have blamed this all on him, refused to talk to him for a week and then really sent him elsewhere to get this crap off him. But there hadn't been any serious blaming and here she was voluntarily touching him.

Alec was pulled out of his thoughts by Max's voice. "Um, I think you might need to sit down, cause I'm not gonna be able to reach the higher ones otherwise."

Alec did as she asked. He sat very still as she went to work on the paint on his shoulders.

"Hey Max."

"Mmmm," Max mumbled, distracted as she spotted a smudge of blue paint high up on his neck, next to his barcode. As she began to rub at it she felt Alec shiver slightly.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but… I like this new Max. She's more fun."

"What are you talking about? There is no new Max. This is me."

"Well this new attitude then."

"There is no new attitude."

Alec spun himself around on the stool to face her, and Max suddenly found herself standing between his legs. "Are you trying to tell me that if a month ago I had ambushed you with a bunch of kids wielding paint guns and got your ass shot up, you would have laughed it off, picked up your own gun, shot Mole in the back of the head and tried to turn me into lizard food?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"Definitely."

Alec's lips quirked in a way that told Max just how much he didn't believe her.

"Okay, possibly not, but we'll never know now will we," she smiled, as she took a small step forward and brushed the cloth against a green stain on the skin just below his ear.

Alec swallowed heavily. "Max…" his voice was deep and rough.

"Yeah?" She looked up to meet his eyes and found that he was studying her face with an almost uncomfortable expression.

"Sorry," she mumbled, assuming it was her closeness that was upsetting him, and went to take a step backwards.

Alec reached out and grabbed the hand with the cloth and kept it where it was against his skin, while placing his other hand on her hip, preventing her from going anywhere. "That's not what I meant," he whispered.

She looked at him curiously. "What did you mean?"

"I…" Alec suddenly looked away from her.

"I just wanted to say that I know we haven't always gotten on very well in the past, but I'm glad that we do now," he was now looking intently at her, and Max felt his fingers slowly begin to caress the skin at her hip. "Cause you're kinda one of my best friends." He watched her hesitantly to see how she reacted to his little revelation.

A slow smile spread across Max's face "Really?"

"Yeah Max, really."

Alec watched her as Max stood there and thought about what he had just admitted.

"That's good," she said with a genuine smile, "cause you're one of my best friends too."

"Seriously?" Alec asked, slightly shocked. He knew that she tolerated him, but he never thought that Max would really forgive him for all the stupid crap that he had pulled in the time that he had known her. At least not forgive him enough to consider him a close friend.

"Are you kidding!" Max laughed. "If it hadn't been for you I would have gone insane months ago. Probably would have turned Mole into a nice clutch purse by now."

Alec threw back his head and laughed; a sound that always made Max smile.

Alec suddenly focussed and frowned slightly, before tugging on her hip lightly till she stepped closer still, so he could lean up and brush his thumb against her jaw, just below her ear. He suddenly met her eyes, "You've still got a bit of paint," he said in explanation, before his eyes returned to her neck.

Max's heart rate accelerated as she watched him bring his thumb to his mouth and lick it, before reaching out to her and lightly rubbing at the offending splotch of paint. The intimacy of the gesture blew Max away.

She found she couldn't do anything but stand there and watch him as he passed his eyes over her, and she didn't think that any man had ever looked at her like Alec was currently doing, and it made her heart race. He was still sitting impossibly close stroking her jaw; and then Max could tell that suddenly he was stroking _her,_ and not the blob of paint on her face.

His eyes suddenly met hers and Max felt something pass between them, like he had allowed her see a part of himself that she'd never seen before; but because she'd never witnessed it before she didn't recognise it. And then it was gone. Maybe he'd seen something in her expression that had made him change his mind, she didn't know. All she knew was that now he was in control of his expression, and Max felt the loss.

Alec issued a silent warning to himself. For a moment there he had forgotten where he was and what he was doing. He had been so caught up with finally being that close to Max, that he hadn't thought when he had seen that blob of paint. He had just been going on instinct. And then he had been so immersed in the feeling of being able to touch her that he hadn't given a thought to the consequences of such an action. It hadn't been until he had looked into her wide, surprised eyes that he realised that he might have frightened her, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

"Sorry," he said softly, looking a little sheepish. "That was a little…overly familiar."

Max shrugged, a wide smile spreading across her face, like she found something funny. "Don't sweat it. What's a bit of saliva between friends?"

And then in a moment that Alec could only assume must be insanity he was leaning up and kissing her. He felt her stiffen and freeze, and just as he was about to pull away and try and find the words to apologise he felt her lean into him and thread her fingers through his hair. He slid his arm tightly around her narrow waist and reeled her in, while the hand caressing her jaw and neck kept her exactly where he wanted her as he deepened the kiss.

Max was feeling light-headed as she clung to him, and she knew that she had never been kissed like this before – ever. It was gentle and soft, yet demanding and all-consuming; and either Alec had really been holding out about his feeling for her, or he was just a Goddamn good kisser. And from the way she could barely remember what her name was, because the only name that was currently running through her head was Alec's, she knew the second one was _definitely_ true.

Alec very reluctantly broke the kiss and cautiously looked up at her. He watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open and focused on his face, before they dropped to his lips. He waited anxiously for her to say something. The only thing that calmed him was the fact that she hadn't yet tried to remove herself from his grasp. She was still standing between his legs, pressed against him, with her fingers still entwined in his hair.

"So, what was that for?" Max finally asked breathlessly, looking up to meet his gaze.

"Uh," Alec cleared his throat. "Just being friendly."

"Is that all?" Max queried, an amused smile playing on her face.

"What's a bit of saliva between friends, eh?" Alec smiled back softly as he caressed her face with his thumb.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Originally the prompt from Dark Roswellian Angel went like this_: '…for some reason I just can't seem to get rid of the idea of them racing around TC having fun for just one small portion of a chapter and shooting water guns at each other. Of course, they'll accidentally hit other people who make the mistake of getting in their way (Mole, Joshua, OC, Logan, etc.) some of whom will see the fun in it and others who totally won't.

_I tried to stay as faithful to this suggestion as possible while still trying to make some Max/Alec progress, and I did substitute the water guns for paint guns to allow for the shameless display that occurs in the above scene. Water is just not permanent enough! ;)_

_That was officially my first kiss, so if you've got a sec, let me know how the chapter went. Plus, the more you review the more motivated I will be to edit the three chapters I already have written. Shameless I know, but I like hearing what you all think too much! :D_


	20. Nightmares

_**A/N: **__Okay, for all those people who were so brilliant and reviewed:_

(SakuraAkira365, tvmaniac2008, SouthernRocker, Ria Lucas, 452max, darkaznangel452, Dancerchic15, latinapotterfan, whoisBrett, recicup, Charmedfan90, mash-sg1angel, Anaknusan, Katie 452, MythStar Black Dragon, browncoatgirl, The Geek Tragedy, Dark Roswellian Angel, Chica De Los Ojos Cafe, vancity angel, THEHUNTRESS06)

_I made a special effort and stayed up till three in the morning to get this chapter finished because you guys are all so nice, and because I was slightly worried about being lynched ;D_

_This chapter makes reference to Max's nightmare in Chapter 10, which I kinda left vague on purpose knowing I would come back to it in this chapter – just in case you wanted to refresh you memory, and to see if you got what I was trying to be tricky about._

_BTW- for those of you who might not be well versed in Aussie slang 'pissed' means angry (it also means drunk, but not in the context I'm going to use it in). _

* * *

**Nightmares**

Once again Alec found he awoke to a noise in the apartment, and once again it was coming from Max's room. He propped himself up on an elbow and scrubbed at his face tiredly. He knew it wasn't Max's fault that she often had bad dreams, really it was to be expected – they all had them. But she was waking him up almost every night, and unlike her he _needed_ a minimum of five hours a night. Eight was preferable. Ten and he started dreaming he'd died and gone to Heaven.

He noticed that most nights he could hear her tossing and turning constantly. Thankfully she hadn't woken up screaming again, but he knew that was mostly down to the fact that she hardly ever _went_ to sleep.

After the last time Alec also knew that Max wasn't exactly comfortable discussing her sleeping difficulties with him, so if she did happen to wake him up, he would stand outside her door with his hand on the knob and wait until she either settled, or sounded like she was about to start screaming. So far he hadn't needed to enter her room again, but he knew it would only be a matter of time till she had another one. Those sorts of nightmares didn't just go away.

As Alec lay on the couch and listened to the sounds coming from Max's room he realised they weren't the sounds of fitful sleeping. He quickly divested himself of his blanket and made his way quietly to her door. But as he placed a hand on the doorknob he paused. Those did not sound like the sounds of a person caught in the throws of a violent nightmare either. They sounded like the sounds of…rebellion.

"And what do you think you're doing!?"

Alec was greeted by a pair of brown startled eyes staring back at him. Clearly she had been so engrossed in her paperwork that she'd failed to hear him outside her door.

Max gulped as she glanced at Alec, relieved to see that upward twist of his lips that appeared whenever he found something amusing, but as her gaze reached his eyes she noticed that they were devoid of all amusement. He was pissed.

Max knew she was in trouble - big trouble. The only reason that she hadn't been in trouble lately was because she had been abiding by all of Alec's rules. Clearly though her run of good behaviour was over, because he had just sprung her in an act of disobedience. "I-I couldn't sleep," she answered a little guiltily.

"Well that's crap," Alec declared confidently, as he leaned against her door in his shirt and boxers.

If possible Max's eyes got even wider in astonishment. "What?"

"Max, we both know you hardly ever sleep," Alec held up a hand to stem the flow of words from her already open mouth. "No more bullshit, Max," he said with a weary sigh as he ran a hand through his bed tousled hair. "We both know the truth."

"That being?" she asked stiffly.

"That although you have shark DNA and admittedly need less sleep than the rest of us," he said in a placating manner, "you _do_ still need to sleep. And you haven't been."

"I sleep," she defended, however her protest lacked her usual fire.

"_Maaaxxx_." Alec breathed her name in a way that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. No one had ever spoken her name in a way that was so knowing, so…intimate. "Ten minutes at 4am two nights ago doesn't count."

Max looked at him suspiciously. How did he know?

"These walls are like tissue paper," he said in answer to her silent question. "I can hear you tossing."

Max wanted to argue with him – desperately – but she just couldn't, not when he was looking at her like that. That look told her so much - that he knew her pain and he shared it, that he realised what he was asking of her was upsetting and unpleasant, and that he was sorry that there wasn't anything more he could do about it. So instead of arguing she bowed her head slightly in something resembling assent.

"I know why you don't want to sleep Max, and I understand…" Alec said softly, his gaze shifting around the room awkwardly, "…cause it's the same reason that I don't like to sleep."

In her shock at his confession Max's eyes shot up to lock with his, and she saw the flash of pain and vulnerability that ran momentarily within them.

"I know they can be bad…real bad…" and Max caught the slight shudder that ran through his body at the memories, "… but you can't let them stop you sleeping Maxie. Trust me. The less you sleep the worse they'll be when you do eventually succumb to exhaustion."

As she looked at Alec - truly looked at him - Max saw a man who was haunted both in his waking hours, and in his dreams.

"And Max, the less you sleep the more emotional and less rational you become, and the more difficult for people to approach you. You can't afford that Max. Not as the leader of a nation."

As Max listened to Alec's soft voice she couldn't help but silently acknowledge the accuracy of his words. Over the last couple of months she had slowly come to recognise just how scarily insightful Alec could be.

He knew _her_, and that scared the shit out of Max. It also threw into sharp contrast the fact that she really didn't know him. A fact that she hadn't really been aware of till a short time ago. She could still remember the exact moment the first wave of realisation had come crashing down on top of her, making her head spin.

They had been arguing heatedly – as usual – standing toe-to-toe, their voices rising steadily until they were both yelling. They had been on their way to headquarters until they had stopped dead in their tacks to bitch at one another.

They had both been so engrossed in their argument that they had failed to hear the sound of small blurring feet coming towards them. Max suddenly felt something thump into her back, sending her tumbling into Alec and the wall that had concealed them. But Alec had somehow managed to catch her and cushion her against his chest, his body taking most of the impact against the wall.

She remembered her surprise at his sudden change in persona. One minute he was yelling at her with only a spirit she could match, and the next he was holding her like she was the most precious thing in his world. The true concern and tenderness that he had shown her as he made sure that she was in fact unharmed had floored her. Not because she had believed Alec was incapable of such feelings, but because of the honest emotion behind his eyes.

In that moment Max had realised that _that_ was who he truly was. For that sixty seconds he had allowed her to see _Alec_. She recognised that the Alec she saw ninety-five percent of the time was in fact simply a 'face of Alec' – an impostor.

This single realisation had prompted Max to open her eyes to Alec, and as she started to pay more attention she had been shocked and unnerved to discover that there were many 'faces of Alec'. She had started to observe Alec much more closely, and it had become a habit of hers, one she hadn't been all too comfortable with, but a habit none-the-less.

As the days progressed Max had curiously watched Alec and noted his subtle shift in mood. That had only been a few short weeks before he had started this little game of theirs, which had only succeeded in making her even more aware of him. Now after weeks of peripheral observation, Max thought she had at least a working understanding of the 'faces of Alec'.

Max now understood that these 'faces' were actually a more exaggerated or tempered projection of his real feelings. It was almost like his feelings were too intense for him to allow the world to see, and he filtered them accordingly. So while these 'faces' usually reflected his mood of the moment, they were distorted, moulded and reshaped to give the casual observer a very narrow and censored view of 'Alec'. Max found it hard to explain, but it often felt like Alec carefully applied a veneer to make himself bright and shiny and indestructible so that the world wouldn't look too closely and notice the cracks.

As Max came to notice these things about Alec she also came to realise just how alike they really were. They both hid from other people and the world, but in very different ways. She knew she was reserved and aloof, or, as most people liked to call her, hostile and bitchy. She spent her time actively fortifying herself against the world by building walls and defending her perimeter with vigilance. She survived and stayed alive by pushing people away, and trying not to feel or become invested.

And Alec was exactly the same.

Oh, he thought he was fooling the world, and indeed he had fooled her for a very long time, but no more. Alec was far more cunning than she had ever been – he hid in plain sight. Alec invited you into his life with open arms. He shared and laughed and joked, and within minutes Alec was your best friend, your confidant. But he never _really _let you in. You never got to see the _real _Alec. You may have thought you knew him, but all you knew was what he had cleverly constructed.

Max sometimes found herself watching captivated as Alec, with infinite brushstrokes, created an almost flawless 'face' before her eyes. It was only the memory of the look in his eyes that allowed her to differentiate between the Rembrandt and the forgery. Max could only surmise that after twenty years of surviving by only allowing the world to see the projection he skilfully crafted of himself, it was a habit Alec was as yet unwilling, or unable to break.

If Max was truly honest she could understand his reluctance. After all, she had now been out more years than in, and she knew that she still all too readily slipped behind her Manticore mask when a situation became too emotionally charged.

As Max let his words and their meaning wash over her and looked into his hazel eyes she saw none of the defensiveness, none of the shutters, none of the 'faces' – she only saw Alec, and he was reaching out to her, and it made her want to extend her hand in return.

"What should I do?"

If Alec hadn't been totally focussed on Max he would have missed her soft question. Everything about her reaction tonight had completely thrown him. This was not the Max he was use to.

"Well, sleep first; then eat; then delegate more. You're too stressed Max, and it's interfering with your sleeping patterns. You have a nation of highly skilled, highly capable people who want to help. You need to let them, both for their sake and for yours."

Max stared back at Alec and wondered why everything that came out of his mouth sounded so simple.

"But first you need to sleep."

Max felt the panic begin to rise within her chest at the thought of being trapped in that dream again. "I can't," she declared anxiously, in a tone that almost broke Alec's heart because of it's vulnerability.

"Yes you can," he replied gently. "And I'll be right outside on the couch if you need me."

As he watched the panic that swirled in her eyes as she thought about what awaited her in her dreams, Alec desperately wanted to offer to stay with her. He wanted to give her comfort, to protect her from herself and give back to her some of what she gave to him. But he didn't. He knew that there had been a shift in their relationship when he had kissed her, and when she had kissed him in return; but he didn't want her to think that he was trying to con his way into her bed. He wasn't about to risk anything tainting things between them. He was going to do this right.

Max knew that him being out on the couch was not going to keep her nightmares at bay. What she desperately wanted, and wasn't prepared to voice, was the need for him to stay with her. Maybe if she could convince him to stay with her he wouldn't find her in her dreams.

Alec watched Max wrestle with her anxiety and he could see her agitation growing as she opened her mouth to argue. "You can do this Max. You have to. For everyone's sake."

Alec suddenly saw all the fight leave Max as she nodded numbly, and began to clear the papers off her bed. "I'll be right outside if you need me." He then turned and walked out her door, pulling it softly closed behind him.

oOoOoOoOo

Alec was sleeping restlessly when he was dragged into consciousness by a pained whimper, which was promptly followed by another more violent one. Alec leapt out of bed and ran to Max's door in an attempt to reach her before she released the blood curdling screams he knew were coming.

As he stood over her he tentatively reached over and gently shook her shoulder while calling her name, but the nightmare was holding on to her too strongly. It was consuming her.

He knew the dangers of waking an X-5 suddenly from such a traumatic dream, but there was nothing for it; she was getting too hysterical. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her – roughly – calling her loudly.

Suddenly a strangled sob escaped her before she sat bolt upright in bed hyperventilating and shaking. Alec tried to calm her but suddenly her hyperventilating dissolved into wracking sobs, and then she was crying and apologising to... him?

Without another thought Alec slipped into bed beside her and gathered her into his arms, pulling her onto his lap. Max immediately wrapped herself around him like a vine would around a tree and clung to him like her life depended on it, burying her face in his chest and soaking his shirt with her tears.

As he held her and rubbed soothing circles on her back she kept repeating the same thing over and over.

"I-I'm so sorry…I didn't m-mean to, Alec _(hic)…_I-I didn't know…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry - - "

"Shh… you have nothing to be sorry about, Maxie. It's not your fault, baby," he cooed, stroking his fingers through her hair.

"Y-yes it is, I thought _(hic)_…I thought you were h-him."

"You thought I was who?"

"Ben." She was whispering so quietly that Alec had difficulty hearing her. "He was killing again and I had to stop him, and…and we fought…" her sobs taking over her again.

"It's okay Maxie, you had no choice, you had to. It's what he wanted," Alec soothed.

"No! You don't understand," she said vehemently, pulling away to look him in the eye. "I broke his leg …I broke _your_ leg."

Alec looked down at her, his brain whirring, trying to follow her logic. He remembered the conversation they'd had when she had first told him about what she'd been forced to do to Ben, and he was desperately trying to fit that information in with what she was trying to tell him now.

"We were fighting, Ben and I, and I…I broke his leg… and then he… he turned into you, and you asked me to…to…"

Alec watched as Max broke down into hiccupy sobs, understanding now fully dawning on him. He had made her do the one thing that she could never forgive herself for – kill her brother. And by the sounds of it he was making her do it every time she shut her eyes.

He gathered her more tightly to himself and tried to comfort her as best he could, rubbing lazy circles on her back and stoking her hair, murmuring reassurances in her ear.

After a few minutes Max seemed to settle and her breathing began to even out as she began to slip toward sleep, exhaustion finally taking over.

With her still in his arms Alec shifted them both down the bed till he could lay her down in a more comfortable position, but as he tried to remove himself from her she resisted, clinging to him.

"Stay," she whispered sleepily, pulling him down beside her.

"It's okay Max, I'll be right beside the bed. I'm not going anywhere." He had intended on going to get a chair so he could spend the reminder of the night watching over her, like he realised he should have done in the first place.

"No, stay with me Alec," she muttered, as she pressed her soft body closer to his, laying her head on his chest. "Nothing can happen to me if you're here."

And Alec found that he couldn't argue with that - and he didn't want to. So he lay awake with Max in his arms, just thinking.

Her words kept echoing in his head, _'Nothing can happen to me if you're here.'_ As much as he wished that that were the truth, Alec knew that the truth was far less appealing. He could now see that maybe his presence in Max's life was actually hurting her. He couldn't dispute the fact that his proximity to her was probably helping to trigger her nightmares. The fact that his face was identical to his dead twin brother's was a constant reminder of him and what she'd been forced to do. And that wasn't a good thing, not when it seemed they were both torturing her with that in her sleep.

As he looked down on Max's now peacefully slumbering form he knew that he would do anything to banish her pain. He let his eyes wander over her features. She was so beautiful like this, when she thought no one was watching.

As Alec lay there with her in his arms he couldn't help but to remember her plea for him to stay. She had clung to him like he alone could keep her darkness at bay. It was obvious that their friendship had grown. He now knew that she trusted him – maybe more than anyone else. She had let him see her at her most vulnerable, and now she was sharing her bed with him.

Alec felt Max stir lightly in her sleep and he pulled her more tightly against him. He heard her give a contented sigh as she curled more closely into him, her small hand slipping under his t-shirt which had rucked-up when he'd slid them down the bed, her fingers coming to rest over his ribs.

He decided that for tonight he would give her the comfort that she so desperately needed and that in the morning they would work everything out, because she couldn't keep going on like this. But for tonight she trusted him to keep her darkness at bay, and that was exactly what he would do.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Hope you all got that in Max's dream in Chapter 10 she's forced to kill Alec instead of Ben and that's why she refused to tell him what she'd dreamt. I had intended this chapter to follow that one much sooner, but the story just kept growing in between. Anyway, hope it all made sense! For those of you who are disappointed with this chapter – of which I am assuming there are a few of you, especially after last chapter – do not fear, more Alecy/Maxness coming up! I'm still gonna ask you to push the button though…_


	21. Bed Buddies After All

_**A/N:**__ Okay, so I know I said I had this chapter already written, but that turned out not to be entirely true. I completely rewrote the ending because I decided the original was too uneventful, and I felt like trying to be little more original. So that's the reason why you've had to wait so long for an update. The best apology I can offer is the new ending…_

* * *

**Bed-Buddies After All**

As Max woke slowly she realised that she really didn't want to. She was warm and safe and content. All her bones felt heavy and relaxed, a feeling she was not often familiar with. As she cracked her eyes open she was greeted by the sight of a strong looking, stubble covered jaw and chin; and she immediately realised who she was sprawled across.

As she took in Alec's peaceful face and bed ruffled hair, Max couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She couldn't ever remember him looking this adorable – and she knew _that_ was saying something. It wasn't often that she got to study him without that smirk carefully plastered across his handsome face.

For the first time in…well, as long as she could remember, she felt at peace. As she cast her eyes around her room Max realised it was morning, which meant that after she had fallen asleep in Alec's arms she must have slept soundlessly throughout the rest of the night. And although that annoying voice had reappeared in the back of her head and was telling her that she _really_ needed to get back to work, she ignored it. She couldn't bear to remove herself from the safety of his arms; and besides, after everything Alec had done for her last night the least she could do for him in return was let him sleep a bit longer – right?

As Max lay her head back on Alec's chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart, she suddenly became aware of their exact position. She had been so warm and content that she'd not immediately noticed - it was hard to tell where she ended and he began. They fit so perfectly together like two pieces of the same puzzle that it felt as though they had been made to lie like this - and as far as Max knew that might just as easily have been true.

She lay still and carefully focussed her attention on cataloguing their sleeping arrangement from top to bottom. She was now fully aware that her _entire _front was pressed firmly down the length of Alec's side, and she could feel where his right arm was wrapped securely around her slight waist keeping her anchored to his side, his hand resting on her bare hip where she t-shirt rode up. That was when she realised her arm was slung across his chest, and that at some point during the night it had found its way under his shirt. His skin suddenly felt hot where her bare arm came into contact with his smooth muscles.

As Max's attention drifted lower she realised that her position became even more compromising. One of her legs was thrown over one of Alec's, causing them to become intimately entwined. His legs were strongly muscled and sprinkled lightly in hair, and Max swore that she could feel where every one of those hairs brushed her smooth leg.

Alec found himself dragged into consciousness the moment he felt Max wake up, but he was so content that he just wanted to lie where he was a bit longer before they had to go back to the real Max and Alec. To be truthful he wanted to stay right here forever. It just felt so natural to wake up with Max in his arms. But most pressing on his mind was Max's state of mind after her nightmare, and just as importantly, her reaction to waking up with him in her bed. Alec knew that some things had changed between them, but he also knew that some things hadn't, and he wasn't entirely convinced that they were passed the violence yet. So as Alec lay there and tried not to think about what he was going to do if Max did freaked out, he became aware of her warm fingers tracing idle patterns on his bare chest.

He knew Max was definitely awake, so why hadn't she removed herself from him? He really hadn't pegged Max as a cuddler, yet here she was lying pressed up against him with her hand still up his shirt. Alec felt her shift ever so slightly closer to him, and he unconsciously tightened his hold on her, enjoying the way her bare leg slid against his. It was only then that he became aware of exactly how intimately they were entwined – and in Alec's book there was only _one_ other position they could be in that would be more intimate. And what was strange, like _'twilight zone'_ strange, was that Max hadn't even batted an eyelid. In fact if Alec didn't know any better he would have thought they woke up like this every morning.

As he looked down at her he could see that there was colour back in her cheeks, and her worry lines were surprisingly absent from her forehead. He could feel that all her limbs were loose and relaxed against him, and as he looked across his chest he cold see his shirt moving as the hand beneath it continued to run lightly over his muscles.

He slowly began to mimic the pattern with the hand that lay on her hip. He felt her fingers falter slightly as she glanced down at his hand and then tilted her chin up to look at him.

As Max met Alec's gaze she was unprepared for the tenderness she saw, and it made her smile.

"Morning."

"Morning," he replied, his voice deep and gravely from sleep. Max gave a little chuckle of surprise; to which he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You sound different in the morning."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Good or bad?"

"Neither, just…different. Deeper. Rougher," she replied, laying her head back on his chest, and resuming the idle patterns on his skin. She suddenly gave another louder chuckle. "You mean to tell me that out of the _dozens_ of women you bed on a daily basis, none of them ever told you that?" she questioned sceptically.

"Well firstly, you know that I don't do that anymore. I have hung up my spurs. This cowboy does not tame beauties anymore," Alec said with a smirk, although when he looked down at the beauty sprawled across him, he knew that wasn't _entirely_ true.

"Nice analogy," Max muttered dryly.

"And you accuse me of having no self-restraint," he replied in a hurt tone. "I totally just resisted the very obvious and crass 'cowboy and riding' pun."

Max couldn't help but chuckle at his obvious _inability_ to resist_;_ but at the same time she couldn't help but to acknowledge the truthfulness of his words. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him do anything more than look sideways at a woman – she hadn't seen him out trawling for bimbo's since well before the events of J.P.

"And the second?"

"And secondly, even when I did have…er, my spurs on… I never woke up next to any of them," Alec said softly, and there was some emotion behind his words that Max didn't understand.

"What? Are you telling me you kicked them outta your bed straight… after?" Maxed asked slightly taken aback; before suddenly frowning. "Coz that's kinda…well, rude. "

"No! Jeez Max, do you have a low opinion of me or what!" Alec complained dryly. "I've just never felt comfortable enough with someone to wake up beside them before," Alec admitted quietly. "You have to truly trust a person to let your guard down enough to sleep beside them, and then allow them to see who you truly are in the harsh light of day. To be honest, I've never felt like that about anyone…or been that brave." He confessed softly. Max could only nod; she thought she knew all to well what he meant.

"But you know what Maxie? As the days pass the more I think I want that. To have someone who knows and understands me, and to be able to wake up beside her unafraid."

Max scrutinised his words carefully, not sure which meaning she was supposed to garner from that remark. And she found that she was suddenly gripped with curiosity. "Did you wake up afraid this morning?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth Max wanted to snatch them back. She was still unsure how Alec felt about her, and her question had just laid her own feelings barer than she had intended. Not that she was entirely sure of her own feelings – not at all – all she knew was that they were much more positive than they ever had been. But she didn't want Alec falling into this just because she was there and passed the time till he found someone more interesting – she wasn't prepared to be anyone's bed-warmer.

Alec was taken aback by Max's uncharacteristic willingness to open such a discussion, and it brought a pleased smile to his face. He was also thrilled that the first thing she'd thought about after his comment was how she fitted into it - how he felt about waking up next to _her_.

"I could never be afraid to wake up next to you Max," Alec said honestly as he placed a kiss to the top of her head, "you know more about me than anyone."

"That's not true," Max argued. "You never tell me anything about anything. It feels like you never existed before I met you and Manticore went down."

"That's because I didn't." And Alec meant it, he hadn't existed until he'd met Max. "I don't like to remember the person I was back then, and what he did. I've been trying to erase him."

"We _all_ did things no person should ever have to do Alec, but you have to know that I would never judge you for that. I know that's not who you are."

The deafening silence that stretched out into eternity made Max realise that he didn't trust her not to judge, and that knowledge hurt like nothing else ever had.

Max propped herself up on an elbow and loomed over him. "Alec I'd never judge you for something you were made to do at that place. I _know_ you would never have done any of those evil things by choice, because you are a good person." Max noticed that while Alec listened to her, he did it with a carefully blank expression.

"Look Max," Alec said as he tried to prop himself up on an elbow too, which he found difficult seeing as Max still had one of his thighs pinned by one of hers, and she was leaning over him, giving him no room to move, "it's no big deal. I don't talk about it with anyone."

"Yes it is," she argued, giving his shoulder a shove to push him back down onto the bed, "you don't trust me, and that's a big deal!"

"No it's not," he replied soothingly, trying to pacify her, as once again he tried to prop an elbow under himself. "I just don't like to talk about it. It has nothing to do with you, Max."

"The Hell it doesn't!" Max replied hotly, as she gave his shoulder another hard shove, knocking it out from underneath him before promptly throwing a leg over and sitting astride him.

"Now listen and listen good, 'cause this is a one time only performance," she command as she placed her hands on either side of his head, her hair curtaining around them as she stared determinedly into his eyes. "We are going to sort this out once and for all!

"Max.." Alec began, sensing a Max rant looming.

"Shut it!" Max hissed; and Alec thought that maybe he should.

"I know I gave you a hard time about Manticore from the very first moment I met you and I'm sorry okay, I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't have, but I was locked up in that place..." Alec felt the shiver that passed through her body and into his, "...and you came waltzing into my cell all Captain America, with the saluting and the stony face, and the willingness to procreate for your country and I admit it! I judged you for it! I hated Manitcore, and if you were gonna stand there in that cell and try and defend it to me then you were the enemy too, even though I should have seen you weren't, I didn't. I thought you were a Manticore automaton just like all the others, and I held it against you for far longer than I ever should have - long after we got out - even after I knew deep down that wasn't who you were I held it against you because- -

"Max," Alec interrupted, trying to get her to stop.

"Let me finish," she said stubbornly, barely pausing to draw breath as she kept going.

"I was confused okay, and I took it out on you – not that that is an excuse, I'm not trying to make it an excuse, I just want you to understand why," Max said quickly, anxious that he understand. "I was desperately trying to convince myself I was in love with a man I wasn't, and as usual things were disintegrating around me, and there you were," Max rambled, her words starting to run together like rain droplets on the hood of a car. "You were in the thick of it…of all that trouble, and it was easier to blame you for all of it than it was for me to look at why I _needed_ to blame you. I wasn't even willing to admit to myself that I was attracted to the identical twin of the brother I'd murdered – cause that's just _sooo_ wrong on _sooo_ many levels," Max muttered to herself, before drawing in another deep breath to relaunching into her rant at full steam.

"Max, you don't ha - -" Alec tried to interrupt again. He knew what she was trying to say and he didn't need to hear her say it; he knew this was difficult for her. But the more he listened to her the more he realised that it was a good thing he _did_ know what she was trying to say, because frankly she sucked at apologies. Thankfully for her he was an easy going kinda guy. Maybe he should let her continue, because _clearly _she could use the practice…

Max clamped a hand over his mouth and leaned in closer to pin him with one of her legendary glares. "I know you find it challenging and all, but for once will you_ shut up_ and stop interrupting," she groused, giving him a peeved look.

Max didn't wait for an answer before she ploughed ahead, although she did notice that Alec had gone slack underneath her, suggesting he was finally going to listen to whatever she had to say.

"You were so far from the ideal I had in my head of what I wanted. I wanted normal, and safe, and uncomplicated and predictable, and you're none of that. You were unknown, unpredictable, scary as Hell and from Manticore - and that place was everything that I was trying to get away from. And the more that I felt myself being drawn to you like a swimmer out to sea, the more I fought the current. Because I could see that you would have the power to suck me out and draw me under, and I knew that I would be in danger of drowning - and I knew that I couldn't come back from that. I knew that I wouldn't be okay again if I allowed that to happen."

"So I was irrational and bitchy, cause as long as you weren't too close I was safe, as long as you never looked twice at me I wasn't in any danger, and I could keep preten - -"

Suddenly Max felt the room spin as Alec suddenly rolled, taking her with him and pinning her underneath him. She watched as he looked heatedly into her eyes for a split second before grasping the hand that was still clamped over his mouth and removing it, before swooping down and replacing it with her lips.

Max barely had the mental capacity to note that his kiss was bolder, more demanding than last time, like he knew that this was what they both wanted and he wasn't prepared to waste time giving her the opportunity to deny it. But it wouldn't have mattered even if he had. Max had no intention of fighting this – the thought never even crossed her haze filled mind. All she could concentrate on was his delicious weight pressing her into the mattress below, and the demands his lips were making on her own; and she complied. With a breathy gasp she submitted and gave his mouth the entrance it was so persistently demanding.

As Alec deepened the kiss and his tongue slid over hers, making her shiver, she felt him slow with purpose. His lips were still hot and demanding on hers, but his tongue was stroking over hers lazily, almost like he couldn't go any faster whilst still concentrating on tasting her - because that's what it felt like to Max. She wasn't being kissed, she was being sampled. Tasted. Consumed.

It felt like he was desperately trying to imprint her taste right onto his indelible memory, just in case he ever needed to identify her this way again. And as Max felt his hand wander down to stroke her flank lazily, her fog induced brain was diligently working on a strategy to make that a reality.

As Alec felt Max's tongue tangle with his own he said a silent prayer of thanks. He knew as he had pinned her to the bed and kissed her, that Max was either going to respond positively, or she was gonna freak out - because kisses on stools and kisses whilst pinned to a bed were vastly different concepts.

He knew he had promised himself that he was going to do this right, that he wasn't going to scare or overwhelm her. But Alec was also not a planner. And he didn't follow a rule book. He just wasn't one of those guys who mapped out a romantic offensive and then strategically implemented each manoeuvre with military precision in order to get the girl. He was much more the sort of guy that liked to sail along by the seat of his pants. He preferred to be spontaneous and just let the moment take him. He didn't analyse or over-think things; if it felt right in that moment he just went with it. Simple. And at that moment in time he had felt like pinning Max to her bed and kissing her like she'd never been kissed before. Let no one accuse _him_ of not being a man of action…

Max was starting to wonder if Alec was ever intending on coming back up for air, because she was rapidly running out; and in the back of her mind she knew that Lydecker would be _soooo_ disappointed in her – if only he had found a training method more like this one, she would have made _sure_ she was the star pupil.

And then just as she had thought it he pulled his lips away from hers, and she cursed herself. As Max opened her eyes to stare into Alec's she was surprised to see how dark they were, and as she gazed into their muddied depths she saw the same desire she was sure was reflected in her own. She liked the fact that she wasn't the only one that appeared to be affected.

As Alec searched Max's face for her reaction he was immensely pleased with what he saw. He noted that her cheeks were flushed, her lips were swollen from his assault, and he could feel her chest heaving against his own - but it was her eyes that had him mesmerised. They were heavy lidded and hooded, and he could clearly see the desire swirling within them as it started to ebb; but what was most noticeable was the iridescent sparkle that shone from within, and he thought that this must be what she looked like when she was happy.

As she lay under him and absorbed his intense stare, Max realised that Alec was waiting for her reaction again. She cleared her throat carefully, making sure it had recovered enough to allow her to speak without embarrassing herself, before she asked the only question her brain - which was still lost in an Alec induced coma - could come up with.

"What was that for?"

He was so absorbed with just looking at her, that Alec almost missed her breathy question.

"Looked like you were suffering from a bad case of verbal diarrhoea. Thought I'd help you out." His voice was deep and rumbling, and Max felt the vibrations through his chest.

She gave him an amused lopsided grin. "By putting you tongue down my throat?"

Alec shrugged nonchalantly. "It worked didn't it?"

"I suppose, but I doubt it's the method recommended by experts," she teased.

"I was developing my own technique," he grinned. "Gonna patent it too. I'll make a killing."

"That you would," Max agreed with a breathy laugh.

A dark preditory look spread across Alec's face as he studied her hungrily. "But I think there are still some kinks," he said, licking his lips, clearly thinking about kissing her again.

"Nope, don't think so," Max said lightly. "Felt fine to me."

"Ah, but you see every new method needs to be thoroughly scientifically tested to ensure it's empirically sound, and I haven't conducted the required number of scientific experiments yet. I think we'll have to give it a few more goes," he said wickedly, a naughty glint in his eye.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Max accused with a smile.

"Oh, you have no idea," he muttered huskily as he bent his head to capture her lips again, but Max dodged him, much to Alec's chagrin.

"So what are you going to call it?"

"Huh?' Alec was still trying to work out how, after that very legendary kiss, she was still able to resist him.

"This new technique. If you patent it, it's gonna need a name," Max pointed out logically.

"How about… _'Alec's Acclaimed and Absolutely Amazingly Awesome Articulation Inhibitor'_? Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" he said with a knowing smirk.

"Are you serious?"

"What?"

"That?" Max said, looking at him like she suspected their kiss had restricted his air supply to long and he was now certifiably insane. "That's what you're gonna call it!?"

"What, I don't see a problem. I think it's a very appropriate and functional name."

"Functional? Are you kidding? The '_Alec's Acclaimed and Absolutely Amazingly Aweso - -"_

"Ah, I see your symptoms have returned," Alec purred, as he swooped and caught her still moving lips with his. He kissed her thoroughly again before coming up for air, his breathing laboured and uneven. "Told you it was functional," he murmured, his voice low and dark, making Max shiver. "But it still requires further empirical testing," he mumbled against her swollen lips, this time not removing them long enough to allow Max to regain her sanity, before leaning in to conduct further research.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Okay, this was for all of you who were nice enough to review last chapter even though it lacked 'action'. And for those of you who threatened violence - please accept this bribe ;D_


	22. Do You Have A Search Warrant Officer?

_**A/N:**__ Okay, this chapter is shamelessly dedicated to all those fabulous people who have been my repeat reviewers through out this story. You have all been begging, pleading, threatening and SHOUTING at me for MORE, MORE, MORE!! Don't say I don't listen to ya all ;D _

* * *

**Do You Have A Search Warrant Officer?**

"Look, I am abiding by all of your rules, so lay off," Max grumbled as they walked into her office. She felt like Alec had been picking on her all day. He haggled over how much she ate - or didn't eat - he made sure she had her breaks, and now he was lecturing her again about how much work she had on her plate and how she needed to delegate more. Frankly she was getting irate, and if he wasn't careful she was gonna revert to form and smack him one.

"Ah, but are you Max?" Alec purred in a tone that was far too confident and self-assured to make Max feel at ease. She suddenly had that tingling up her spine that told her she was prey again - prey that was being cornered by a more cunning predator.

"Huh?" Max was trying to pretend like she wasn't really listening, as she silently cursed herself. She had a feeling that she had just put her foot in it big time.

"Well, you just claimed to be abiding by _all_ the rules, and pardon me for saying this," Alec said with a huge shit-eating grin over-taking his face, "…but I don't believe you."

"Well, I don't care what you believe," Max sniffed.

"You should. Seeing as though I have the power to make your life… uncomfortable." Alec gave her a devilish look that made Max want to point out that that look _alone_ made her uncomfortable.

Max knew she was on dangerous ground and that she needed to tread very lightly. But she _had_ been very good lately – with him following her around everywhere, she hadn't had much choice.

The only altercation they'd had was a couple of days ago when he'd caught her refusing to sleep, and Max had to say that the revealing of that little secret hadn't turned out _all _bad. Since then both of them had been more than pleasant to each other, bickering and teasing and flirting with each other with a dedication that would have put a couple of first graders to shame. But neither seemed willing to say or do anything that would lead to any sort of situation where they would need to define what they were, or what they were doing. They were very much both dancing on the periphery of what _could_ be.

Max had also noticed that their 'altercations' seemed to be determined by situation. Only when emotions were running high and they were in close physical proximity did their feelings - or lust - get the better of them both.

And she knew - or at least she thought she knew - that Alec was interested. Hell, he hadn't left her side in weeks. And since she'd indicated that she was somewhat receptive to his attentions, he'd stuck even closer. But Alec hadn't actually _tried _anything yet. Apart from those three breath stealing kisses, he hadn't seemed inclined to initiate anything since - and it was starting to do Max's head in.

"Stop trying to screw with me, Alec. You know that I have been meeting all my terms – you won't bloody leave me alone long enough to break any of them!"

"Sure you don't wanna re-think that statement Max?" Alec cautioned playfully.

"No."

"Don't you think that it might be a bad idea to lie to me?"

"Argh! I'm not lying!" she snapped, throwing her hands up in frustration.

"I think you are." Alec sing-songed.

"How many times do I have to repeat it for your slow ass? No. I'm. Not!"

"Okay," Alec said calmly, suddenly serious, "prove me wrong. Show me your pills."

_'Uh-Oh…'_ That hadn't been the request Max had been expecting.

"Can't say _that's_ a question I've ever been asked before," Max teased seductively, her grin widening slightly when she saw Alec hesitate.

Alec swallowed hard. He hadn't missed the mischievous glint in Max's eye, or her come-hither smile. Clearly Max was in a playful mood, and Alec had always been of the opinion that if Max were ever truly in a playful mood, she would be a hellcat. Something he had always hoped to see first hand.

A slow lazy smirk spread like a sunrise across his face. "Nice try."

"What?" Max flashed her best innocent look.

"You're messing with the Master, Grasshopper. I've seduced more women than Don Juan. Your little seduction technique is not going to distract me," he declared confidently.

"I'm not trying to seduce you," Max replied innocently, her eyes wide, before her voice took on an accusatory tone. "You're trying to seduce me!"

"What! No I'm not!" Alec spat out the denial so fast that his words ran together in an unintelligible mess. And as soon as they were out of his mouth he was kicking himself. He had no idea why he hadn't just admitted it. It had been the perfect opportunity. His big moment.

He could only put it down to panic, brought about by a guilty conscious - because he _was_ trying to seduce her - and she had just accused him of that very thing; and deep down he was terrified that if she knew he was trying to seduce her for real, he'd lose her forever.

"Why not?"

"You what?" Alec blinked, shaking his head as if to dislodge whatever was impairing his hearing. The woman was making no sense.

"Why have you never tried to seduce me?" Max asked seriously.

"Well…I, I mean… you're…_you're_ _Max_." Alec stated, like that explained everything. Man he was confused! She had just accused him of something, and then turned around and accused him of the exact opposite, all in the same breath!

"So, what's wrong with that. I mean, if you've seduced more women than Casanova—"

"Don Juan," Alec corrected.

"—whatever, you've seduced more women than a couple of dead dudes," Max huffed, a little exasperated at being interrupted. "What I want to know is... what's wrong with me? Why have you never tried to seduce _me_?"

"I…ah…I mean—" Alec stumbled over his words. He knew that this was a loaded question - these sorts of questions from women _always_ were. The only way you might have a chance of answering correctly was to understand why you were being asked such a question in the first place, and to already know which answer your woman wanted to hear. Alec had no idea why Max was asking, or what the correct answer might be. And if he didn't work it out quick he knew he was a dead man.

Max was finding it near impossible to keep a straight face. Alec was floundering like a walrus in a sea of chocolate custard, and it was hilarious. Particularly after his, _'I've seduced more women than Casanova'_ speech. Awkward and flustered really was a good look on the man. He was adorable.

As Alec desperately searched Max's face for a hint as to what the correct answer might be, he suddenly saw something flash behind her eyes.

"You little witch!" Alec accused, seriously upset that he hadn't seen it sooner. The little minx was toying with him like a spider with a fly, and he had been so busy contemplating the implications of Max wanting him to seduce her, that he'd been blindsided.

"What?" Max blinked, all innocence.

Alec's face was suddenly serious, and he was not about to give her the opportunity to distract him again. "Show me your pills," he demanded, raising an unimpressed eyebrow like she was a troublesome child.

"That's a metaphor, right?" Max purred, her seductive smile back in place.

"I'm not going to fall for your distraction technique again, Max. I'm not that easy."

"Not what I hear…" Max's seductive smile turned into a wicked grin as she raked her eyes over him hungrily in a way that had Alec swallowing thickly.

Alec's only reply was to raise both eyebrows. "Okay, let's start with an easier question. Do you have your pills on you Max? Yes or no?"

"Yes," Max answered, a playful smile back on her face.

"Can I please see them?"

Max looked to the ceiling and pretended to think about the question. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I find it insulting that you don't believe me," Max retorted in mock hurt. She knew _exactly_ why he didn't believe her.

Alec sighed in frustration. The woman was just impossible. "How about you prove me wrong by showing them to me then?"

"As friends I shouldn't have to prove anything to you, Alec. You should trust me," Max pointed out with glee. She was seriously wondering how far he was going to let her push him before he pushed back.

"Well if you won't prove that you have them on you, then… I'll just have to prove that you don't," Alec said, taking a predatory step towards her, forcing Max's back against the wall.

"You're really going to stoop that low Alec?" Max smirked in challenge, as a thrill ran up her spine – she could tell by the look in his eye exactly what he had in mind.

"Trust me," Alec replied, as he ran his eyes hungrily over her in manner that had the butterflies in Max's stomach clamouring to get out, "I'm not going to enjoy this at _all_."

"Sure you're not," Max replied dryly as she spread her arms and legs, ready for his search.

Alec paused to look at Max standing spread-eagled waiting for him to put his hands all over her, and he felt…weird about it. This wasn't exactly how he wanted to be touching her.

Max raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Is this your first time, cowboy?"

Alec snapped out of his thoughts and stepped towards her, and began to hastily pat her down. "I promise I don't bite," Max's voice became husky, making the hairs on the back of Alec's neck stand up. He lent in closer as he bent to run his hands across her lower back. "Unless you _want _me too…" Max purred directly into his ear, the invitation hanging in the air between them.

Max smiled when she heard Alec's sharp intake of breath. He quickly ran his hands down her hips and each leg, one at a time, before he straightened. Max just raised an amused eyebrow at him. He was just _too cute_ when he was flustered.

Alec took in Max's amused smug expression, and immediately forgot his embarrassment. "As much fun as that just was, Max," he smirked infuriatingly back at her, "I think it also just proved that I was right." His self-assured smugness just rolled off him, and Max just wanted to smack it right off his face. Couldn't hurt to try right?

Max simply looked back at him speculatively in a way that gave Alec a moments pause.

"You didn't answer my question." Max replied coolly.

"And what question was that?" Alec was quickly getting sick of humouring her.

"Was that your first time?"

"No!" Alec replied, indignant at her insinuation. He had frisked countless people professionally... and hundreds unprofessionally.

"Well, you kinda suck at it." Max said bluntly. "Manticore standards must have really slipped since I bounced."

"Max, what are you talking about," Alec asked through gritted teeth, he was quickly losing his cool. "I just searched you, and you don't have your meds on you."

"Don't I?" Max challenged playfully.

Alec knew exactly what she was doing – she was screwing with his head – again. And he wondered idly how else you went about proving that something doesn't exist, except to prove that it does?

"No, you don't," he ground out.

"Sure you don't want to have another go?" Max's eyes twinkled with mischief. "I'm sure it was just performance anxiety. I hear it can be common. I'm sure you can do it better the second time around... right?"

Alec keenly felt the bruise Max had just inflicted on his masculine pride, and man was she gonna pay for that. If she wanted him to be more thorough, then by golly, he was an obliging kinda guy.

Alec stepped towards her with a wolfish grin, and Max quickly wondered if she had just bitten off more than she could chew.

Max shivered as Alec stepped into her personal space so that he was only inches away form her, and placed his warm hands on either side of her bare neck, just below her ear lobes, like he was preparing to kiss her.

"Let me know if I miss anywhere this time," Alec breathed down huskily at her.

Max could only look up and meet his intense gaze as he slowly began to move his hands down her neck in a manner which resembled a caress. His hands slowly reached the base of her neck and spread out to trace her collar bones, his fingers all the while making little circular motions like a massage, altering the pressure on her skin like he was testing its firmness.

Max didn't have to worry about him missing any part of her. Alec made sure that his hands glided over every inch of her skin - often more than once. After all, she had already questioned his technique once, and this time he was determined that she would not be walking away from this once he was done with her. He was determined to have her so worked up that she'd need to sit down to collect herself afterwards.

Max's entire being was concentrated on Alec's magic hands, and the little sparks of pleasure they were creating. She could feel her muscles start to relax under his ministrations as he manipulated the muscles in her shoulders. She shut her eyes and relaxed, just feeling what he was doing to her.

All of a sudden Alec grasped her waist with his warm hands, pulling lightly, so that she took half a step forward away from the wall, coming to rest flush against his chest. He then proceeded to lean in and wrap his arms around her like a hug, so he could run his hands over her back. He slowly massaged her muscles starting from the base of her neck, travelling down past her shoulder blades, over the plains of her back.

His touch was bold and confident, his hands soft and warm; and from where she was standing, pressed the length of him, Max could feel the warmth radiating off him and into her. She could feel his warm steady breaths as they slid passed her cheek and into her hair, fanning it lightly.

Max felt his hands slip under her armpits as he splayed his fingers and ran them down her sides, his thumbs coming within millimetres of the sides of her breasts and down, right down her sides, to the top of her pants. Max involuntarily sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes as his hands travelled ever so slowly lower, spaning her tiny waist. She was solely focused on their path, like her life depended on it. Then they stopped momentary on the bare skin of her hips, where her shirt failed to reach, before retracing their path back up her sides, stopping under her arms again. They paused, thumbs travelling lightly backwards and forwards beside the wire of her bra in a caress that made Max shiver deeply and open her eyes, only to be met by a pair of stormy hazels ones.

The look that Max gave him when she opened her eyes had Alec's breath hitching in his throat. He knew that he had started this to affect her, to teach her a lesson for questioning his ability in an area he knew for a fact he did very well, but he had not intended for it to affect _him_ the way it was.

Alec had always known that he was treading a very fine line with his feelings for Max. He had been very careful to never acknowledge his true feelings – even fully to himself. But if he truly looked deep within he knew that the feelings he harboured for Max had always been something more than just friendship. But the one thing that had kept his feelings in check, that kept him lying to the world, and most importantly himself, was the fact that Max had never even looked in his direction with that thought on her mind – she had never even considered him for an instant. With that knowledge always at the forefront of his mind, Alec had found it relatively easy to lie to himself and refrain from thinking of her as anything other than as a just a good friend, or at least, good friend with a nice rack.

But as Alec stared into her eyes he felt that barrier crumble, he felt that distinction between friend and something more become muddied and convoluted. Because what he now saw in her eyes was not friendship – it wasn't even anger, hate or amusement – it was awareness. She was looking at him the way he had always secretly hoped she would. And from where he now stood with her pressed the length of him and his fingers still on her ribcage, his thumbs brushing back and forth through her shirt, he could see her eyes darken in hunger, and watched captivated as her gaze dropped to his bottom lip as her tongue darted out to moisten her own.

Alec didn't let his hands remain idle for long, sliding them around her back again and resuming his path down to the small of her back. Once they found the waistband of her jeans he ran his hands outwards, tracing the waistband out to her hips, stopping when his progress was halted where her hips were pressed against his own.

Alec couldn't take his eyes off Max's face. He was watching her every little reaction to what he was doing to her. He was so focussed on her and the deep, often faltering rise and fall of her chest against his, that it meant his hands were wandering of their own accord.

He stared deeply into her eyes as his hands dipped low and swept together, gliding over her ass; one hand stopping to rest while the other paused to dip into her back pocket.

Satisfied that there was nothing to be found, his hands dipped again, grasping this time, hauling her against him and holding her there.

Max was aware of the hot trail his hands were blazing across her skin, but all she was capable of doing was staring into his dark swirling eyes, and trying to remember to keep breathing. She felt him grab her ass and haul her roughly against him, and in her surprise she couldn't help the gasp that escaped. She now wondered whether he was going to attempt to locate her pills using the _entire_ length of his body.

Suddenly Max felt bereft as Alec took half a step away from her, his hands leaving her ass and travelling up to grasp her arms again as he turned her to face away from him. He took each of her hands in one of his and placed them flat on the wall in front of her, one of his thighs slipping between hers, spreading them. He had placed her in the 'official' position used to search suspects, and his entire front was now pressed the length of her back as he leaned into her. Max was vaguely aware of him leaning down, surrounding her with his body even further, his mouth at the shell of her ear.

"Do you think it's time to do the front yet, Max?" Alec murmured, his voice deeper and rougher than usual. Max swallowed deeply and nodded, another shiver passing through her as he breathed warmly over her ear. She noticed foggily that his hands were still over hers holding them to the wall, his thumbs caressing the skin of the back of her hands idly.

Alec's hands took the scenic route, travelled up her arms, over she shoulders, and down her sides to her waist and the hem of her shirt, sliding underneath to glide across her taut stomach. Alec's left hand rested lightly on her bare hip, stroking rhythmically, steadying her, as the right began slow sweeping motions from one side of her stomach to the other as it steadily inched higher.

Max felt her breathing falter as she sucked in a lungful of air and held it. She could feel her anticipation grow as Alec's hand swept gradually higher from side to side, higher and higher, until finally she felt it brush the underside of her bra. Max was silently pretending to consider how far she was prepared to let this go; but his hand only made two passes before gradually retracing its lazy path back down her stomach.

"You know Max," Alec suddenly breathed into her right ear as his hands came to rest on her hips again, stroking gently, as he leaned more heavily into her. "I'm starting to doubt you all over again."

The fact that Alec's hands were now idle at her hips forced Max to concentrate on his words. She leaned back into him and looked over her shoulder, her nose almost touching his, and gave him a sultry look. "Are you saying you don't want to continue?" she challenged, her voice deeper, huskier.

"Well… we've come so far…" Alec hedged, looking meaningfully into Max's eyes. "And if you're happy for me to continue…"

"Be my guest," Max purred.

That was all the encouragement Alec needed. His left hand remained at her hip, stroking, while his right hand swept across her bare stomach again, then ventured lower, this time to trace the waistband of her hip-huggers, his thumb dipping ever so slightly underneath. Max tensed at the unexpected boldness of his action.

Alec chuckled darkly into her ear. "Don't forget to breathe, Max."

Max didn't even bother to construct a retort, because she _was_ honestly having to concentrate on breathing. And she already knew there was no point trying to reply because all the blood in her body had left her head and travelled south, following the path of his talented hands.

Alec's hand travelled down onto Max's right thigh as far as it could reach, before sweeping inwards and up, stroking over her inner thigh and onto her hip. It slipped deftly into her hip pocket before sliding out and reaching across to the left. From this position Alec found himself almost wrapped around Max, and he could tell she was breathing heavily. Hell, _he_ was breathing heavily.

His hand followed the same path, down her left thigh, teasing her inner thigh and hip, before slipping into her left pocket.

"And what do we have here?" Alec asked with amusement, as he slowly pulled out a small plastic bag.

Max turned her head ever so slightly so that she was again looking directly into his eyes, her mouth centimetres from his own. From this distance she could clearly see the effect their search and seizure mission was having on him, and a little thrill went through her at the power she wielded over him. His eyes were black as night and his voice was thick, his breathing harsh; and from the way he was pressed so intimately against her, Max knew it wasn't only his upper extremities that were affected.

Max also couldn't ignore the effect he was having on her either – hell, his hand on her hip was the only thing keeping her on her feet. And it felt like her world had spun completely off its axis, and her head felt like it was full of cottonwool. Alec had the power to make her so light-headed that she lost the power to think – although it probably had something to do with the fact that when he was this close to her she forgot to breath.

Max sucked in a deep shuddering breath to try and steady herself. "They look like my pills." She let a slow seductive smile blossom across her face as she reached out and took them a little shakily out of Alec's grasp. "Thanks for helping me locate them," she replied breathily, as she shoved them back into the pocket he'd just extracted them from.

"See ya at dinner," she smirked, slipping out of his arms, his hand sliding off her hip. As Max made her way out the door she likened it to trying to walk in six inch heels across a waterbed. She had to admit the man _was_ good - he'd practically rendered her unable to walk.

Alec remained standing where he was in the empty room for a second, before a wide grin slid across his face and he chuckled in amusement. He had to hand it to Max, she had got him good this time. And as much as he hated being bested, that experience had turned out very pleasant…very, _very_ pleasant in fact. Alec decided that he might need to look at implementing a _daily_ pill seach in future, and maybe a physical...just to ensure Max's continued health, of course.

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_**A/N:**__ Okay people, we are on the downhill run! Btw, anyone else need a cold shower, or is it just me? No? Okay, well then I'm off to try and calm down and let my computer screen defog!_

_Hopefully I've made you all happy, and now it's your turn to make me happy. Don't make me get mean, just press the damn button! ;D_


	23. Road 2 Hell Is Paved w Good Intensions

_**A/N:**__ Firstly, I would like to state that I love men! A lot. And that the opinions expressed in this chapter, and the following chapter, are not my own personal opinions, nor are they a generalisation of men as a gender. _

_As I said last chapter, we are on the downhill run! Woo-hoo, baby! So over the next few chapters I would LOVE some feed back – particularly constructive criticism - because I'm trying to improve the quality of my work. As you have probably noticed I don't have a beta, and I know there are mistakes that I have missed throughout this story. If you think that this is an issue and interferes with your reading enjoyment, please let me know. Actually, all criticisms will be welcomed. Don't be shy! ;D_

_I have also had a few requests for companion pieces to be written. Basically they would be an extension of a few particular scenes, namely at the end of the paintball fight and the 'clean-up' that ensues, and a continuation of the last chapter. This is for all of you who want more Alecy/Maxness. I am only really willing to do this if enough people are interested. So, the ball is in your court…_

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**The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions**

Alec wasn't sure how it had happened, but he did know that it was all his fault as usual, and he cursed himself. He should have realised; he should have thought – but then Max had been telling him that for as long as she had known him. And she had been right. He had just gotten complacent; and if he knew anything he should have known that the last person he should be complacent with was Max, because she tended to overreact.

But he had started to let his defences down around her the last couple of days. He had felt like they were finally starting to get somewhere. It felt like _finally_ they didn't have to hide who they truly were from each other anymore - they were making an effort to open up. So he had stopped thinking so carefully about everything that came out of his mouth. He had been trying to be more like himself around her; because frankly his feet were starting to hurt from all the egg shells. But clearly he should have thought this one through just a _little_ longer.

And the unfunny thing was that had someone asked Alec on one of the many other occasions when Max had taken a dislike to something he'd done, he would have called her response an overreaction. So if what had gone before was an overreaction, then what was this? Alec couldn't quite find the right word, there just wasn't one expressive enough – although nuclear meltdown was comin' close.

Alec knew the second he'd said the wrong thing, because he watched in slow motion as her face contorted into something resembling abject horror, and he knew that he was screwed beyond all belief.

He'd made the particularly stupid error of assuming that Max had worked out that the rest of T.C. was aware of the existence of _'The Rules'_. Not that he'd told them. They'd all somehow joined the dots themselves, and he'd had concerned transgenics coming up to him for weeks to subtly inform him every time she didn't eat, take a break or failed to sleep. Alec wasn't quite sure how else she had thought he'd known _every time_ she'd committed an infraction. Obviously Max had just assumed he was that smart – and right now Alec was sorely lamenting the fact that she hadn't been right.

"How many people know?" Max asked looking at him; and Alec _really _didn't want to be having this conversation right now. He'd much rather be having his barcode lasered off, or watching a fashion show where Mole was modelling this summer's collection of mankini's, or having Max kick him in the bo-jangalies again. Anything but _this_.

"How many?" she demanded more forcefully.

Alec averted his eyes, not wanting to lie, but definitely not wanting to inform her of the truth either. "_Oh my_ _God!_ They all know!" Max breathed in panic, a shaky hand going to her throat.

"It's no big deal, Max," Alec began, not sure how he was going to quell the panic he could clearly see building behind her brown eyes.

"Do you have any idea what you've done!" she shrieked. "I'm supposed to be leading these people! I'm supposed to be in charge, in control. How are they going to trust me now to make the right decisions after they've been watching and laughing at me being undermined by _you_?"

"It's not like that Max. Everybody noticed you weren't looking after yourself, that you were putting the welfare of T.C. and everyone else before your own. Everybody was worried about you…_I_ was worried about you," Alec confessed, desperate for her to understand. This situation was rapidly getting out of his control.

"Where the hell do you get off?" she fumed, so angry that Alec half expected to see steam gushing out her ears at any moment. "This has nothing to do with you. How I live my life has _nothing_ to do with _you!_ You have _no right!"_ she screamed.

Max felt the anger and frustration that had been building within her overtake her, and she found herself embracing it, pouring all the disappointment, fear, frustration, anger and heartache that she'd been harbouring the last three years into this moment. She felt like a bottle of champagne, and every emotional knock had shaken her contents, slowly building the pressure within. Every disappointment at not finding her family shook her; every fear of ending up as someone's science project had jolted her; the everyday terror of being responsible for hundreds of lives jostled her; and every time she had lost a friend or loved one shattered her to the core. Yet through all this she had managed to keep her lid on despite the building pressure, but lately she had been struggling to contain the emotions bubbling and churning within her soul. It had taken all her control and willpower to keep burying them deep within. Yet within an instant and without any real provocation, Alec had shaken her violently, causing her self-control to snap and all her repressed emotions to spew forth in the form of hot molten rage.

"It's because I'm in charge of T.C. isn't it? You can't _stand_ the fact that I'm in charge!" she spat violently, her chest starting to heave and her face turning crimson with anger and emotion as she advanced on him, the anger rolling off her in waves, every movement of her highly strung body promising violence.

"You men are all the same! You can't _bear_ the thought that I'm in control; that I'm not doing what _you_ want; that I'm not paying _you_ enough attention. So you have to scheme, and manipulate, and _dominate_."

Alec was totally lost, raising his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't know where this outburst was coming from, or how to stem it, but it looked as though it was consuming her whole. She was still advancing on him and he had no choice but to retreat from her, his hands up in front of his chest in a non-threatening gesture as he backed around the room, away from her advancing form.

Max saw the innocent look he was wearing and it made her blood boil even more. "Don't look at me like that, you all do it!" she snarled savagely. "You pretend you care what happens to me; that you're only doing what's best for me; that this is what taking care of me requires, but you're really looking out for yourself and your precious science experiment," she hissed venomously.

It was blatantly obvious to Alec that this outburst stemmed from something far deeper than their little game, and that she was no longer talking about him. As he watched the emotions flash unhindered across her face – her anger, and fear, and _hate_ – he watched her expression shut down as she was drawn into a very bad, painful memory; and as he listened to her cryptic rant, he tried desperately to unravel its mystery.

"Oh, some of you are more subtle than others - stealthier - but it's to the same end. You play games, you chase, and pursue, and hunt relentlessly, using every tool in your arsenal including psychological warfare."

Although Alec couldn't be sure, he suspected she was remembering someone at Manticore. It was _that_ _look_ in her eyes that gave her away. It was a look that he was certain had been in his own eyes more than once before.

Without drawing a breath Max continued. "And you're not above using those I care about against me. You'll blackmail, and barter, and withhold anything and everything at your disposal to get me to adhere to your will, including your own life."

Alec didn't need '_An Idiot's Guide to…'_ to unravel that one. It was clearly Zack.

"Some of you though employ a more cowardly approach, preferring to bind me to you through emotional blackmail," she sneered, baring her perfect teeth in a snarl. "Using my own guilt and insecurities and demons against me. So subtle I didn't even realise what was being done."

Alec at last saw her draw in a lungful of air before relaunching her attack. "I fretted and moped and _agonised_ over his sorry ass and the way my past looked through his goddamned rose-tinted glasses, and how I measured up against his morality scale! I wasted two years with his manipulations," Max said more quietly, a hint of something like sadness and regret in her tone. She'd finally stopped advancing, her focus slipping from Alec as she was lost in another painful thought.

Alec stopped retreating, releasing the breath he'd been holding in a loud sigh, but immediately regretted it; the sound seemed to instantly snap Max out of her trance and refocus her attention solely on him, her gaze sharpening.

"And you!" she hissed like a serpent ready to strike, once again advancing with renewed anger. "I thought I could trust you. Of all the men in my life, I thought you would understand what it feels like to be powerless. To be vulnerable. How _terrifying_ it is to not be in control of your own life," she sobbed, her face starting to crumble along with her anger, only to be replaced with despair and agony.

"But I guess I was wrong. I guess you're just like _every_ _other_ man I've ever known," she spat as she began to regain her control and compose herself, replacing her Manticore mask, her voice turning steely. "But what I want to know is: what are you getting out of this sick little game of yours Alec, huh? What's your agenda? Is it just for a laugh? Max's a bitch, let's watch her squirm? I wonder if I can make her believe I actually care about her? If I can get her into my bed? Or are you feeling a little emasculated, and taking down the leader of T.C. will restore your manhood? Or are you doing it just for kicks, y'know because you can? You get a rush out of physically dominating me. Is this some sick psycho-sexual thing?"

"Max, I –"

"You know what Alec, don't bother! I don't care. I'm not playing this game anymore. I _can't_ play this game anymore. So if this is all about the Commander's position, it's yours, you can have it. I defect. And if it's about you dominating me, for any of the reasons listed above, consider me submissive. I'm not doing this little power dance of your's anymore," she whispered hoarsely through the tears that were now openly streaming down her face unchecked, as she turned and fled.

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_**A/N:**__ Mwhaaaaa!! Did we all enjoy that? You didn't seriously think I was just gonna let them have a happily ever after did you? I'm all about the issues baby!_

_This was one of the first chapters I ever wrote after I came up with the concept for this story - and it really is the most pivotal chapter. Everything after the first couple of chapters has been written with the intention of heading towards this point, where I think we get the best insight into WHY Max never woke up, smelt the hottie, and did what all of us would have done in a heartbeat. Well, it's MY take on Max's deep seated issues and the effect they have on her relationships, in particular, how she's never going to make any relationship work until she resolves them. Again, I'd love some feedback…even if you are just gonna rant at me... _


	24. Tough Love

_**A/N:**__ Okay, so I lied. ARGH! I was so sure I could write an entire fiction without once saying the L word, but it appears as though I have failed. Dammit all to Hell! And after 65,000 words too! I think I might cry…_

_It's chapter twenty-four and only now have we got to the self-titled chapter, which you should all take as a sign that we are nearing the finish line, woo-hoo! And by nearing the finish line I mean literally - there is only one more chapter left (I think). And I am warning you now that this is a very short chapter, so prepare yourselves. I also haven't written the final chapter yet and I'm afraid that you are going to have to be patient. I find endings difficult, and after spending so long on this story I want to get it right._

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**Tough Love**

Alec stood in Max's now deadly silent apartment staring at the open door she had just vanished through. He desperately wanted to go after her and explain to her her mistake, but he knew that would never work, he simply didn't know what he would tell her, because to be honest he didn't know what the truth was. He knew without a doubt that he had never wanted to hurt her; to cause her this much pain was killing him. But if Alec were honest, he knew that there had been a small part of him that had enjoyed and even revelled in his power to effect her, and for that he felt deeply ashamed.

He was certain of one thing though. He had started out with only good intentions. He had only ever wanted to help Max see the pain she was causing herself; and that it would ultimately end by causing pain to T.C. He'd thought he could open her eyes to the reality of the situation. He'd tried every other method he could think of in the past: nagging her, a friendly reminder, a lecture, a fight, space. But all had failed. He had finally come to the last on the list – tough love. But he had realised all too late what a horrible idea that was, and by then he had already caused the damage. Only now did he realise the issues with men Max carried. And the staggering reality that he had been the man that she had trusted most; that she had considered _him_ the least likely to betray that trust.

He had always joked about Max being a broken toy and commented on her dysfunctional relationships, but only now that he really thought about it did he realise how far reaching they were. It was as if he had had an epiphany, been hit by the revelation bus - he totally got it, and her now. He thought of every relationship Max had ever had with a man. Lydecker as twisted as it was, was the closest thing to a father figure that she'd ever had, and he had chased and hunted her relentlessly, playing mind games, calling her 'one of his kids'.

She'd then lost all contact with her family for ten years, and something told Alec that there were many dark secrets buried in those missing ten years. He could only imagine the situations a young girl as breathtakingly beautiful as Max would find herself in when living alone on the streets. He suppressed a shudder as a cold chill ran down his spine at the possibilities.

She'd finally found herself a niche in Seattle, a family of sorts, when brother Zack had made a miraculous reappearance, only to hold the whereabouts of her family hostage until she consented to leave with him, using the love of her family against her. At her refusal he had again abandoned her, only to return some time later declaring his undying love, and then killing himself for her.

But what had surprised him most about Max's tirade was the vehemence with which she had condemned Logan's behaviour. If anything she had been most severe on him. Alec had seen the way in which Logan subtly manipulated Max to his own ends, bending her to his will, using her guilt and goodness against her. But what had always upset Alec most was the way Logan was able to manipulate Max into turning that guilt and self-doubt on herself. Logan had had the ability to get Max to punish herself for the sins that only Manticore was guilty of. Alec had watched as Max had tortured herself almost to the point of physical illness for the responsibility she felt for Logan's inability to walk; for the fact that she could kill him if the wind was blowing in the wrong direction; and for any fun that she might happen to steal while some gangster was exporting American art to Portugal, or Morocco, or Dubai.

Alec felt the cold chill of dread pass over him as he realised exactly what she'd been through, and more importantly, how badly he'd just betrayed her trust. Every man she had ever known had wanted a piece of her. Every man had wanted to dominate her, to stamp his ownership all over her; and when he looked at her, Alec could understand why. He thought back with deep shame on the feeling of power and virility he had felt at the knowledge of affecting her, of having her react to him, and the control he could wield over something so free spirited and breathtaking. Max wasn't the sort of woman you could just dismiss from your thoughts once you had had a taste of her - she was addictive. He paced restlessly, unable to remain still in his anguish, scrubbing his face with his hand as he tried to work out how he could possibly fix his error. He replayed her words in his head and he could literally feel his heart breaking, and he wasn't sure whether it was because of the anguish he'd caused her, or the thought of losing her forever. His blood ran cold when he remembered her words, what she thought he was wilfully doing to her. He had to find her. He _had_ to try and fix this.

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_Second last chance to have your say. All suggestions, requests for the last chapter will be considered ;D_


	25. Courses of True Luv Never Did Run Smooth

_**AlN:** Aloha everyone! So FINALLY this chapter is finished #__wipes sweat from brow#_

_Firstly I want to thank you all for being so patient. Can I just say that I HATE writing endings! It took me ages to come up with something that I was happy with, so this has taken far longer than I ever intended. Sorry…_

_I also have to admit that I procrastinated a little because I am really quite sad that this is the final chapter - this story really has become my baby, and I didn't want to see it end. _

_I want to thank every last one of you for all the support I've received throughout. I really have had the best reviewers EVER! You have all been my personal little cheer squad, stroking my ego, encouraging me to write Faster! Faster! Faster! and promising chocolate and violence if I didn't deliver more Alecy/Maxness. I had so much fun with this story, and it is all because of you!_

_To all of you who have made suggestions and kindly given your opinions and help, I would like to say a huge thank you. Especially to Dawns Heart, recicup, Anaknusan, __Chica De Los Ojos Café, darkaznangel452, Ria Lucas and Dark Roswellian Angel. Just chatting backwards and forwards with you guys gave me so many ideas, and I wanted to say a MASSIVE thanks because it really did help to talk things through. In particular though to Dawns Heart for all the help she gave me on this last chapter – your were fantastic!_

_Now, on with the chapter… ;(_

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**The Courses of True Love Never Did Run Smooth**

Max didn't know where she was headed, and she didn't stop to think about it. All she knew was that she had to get away - far away. It wasn't until her feet ran out of ledge that she finally looked around and found that she had climbed to the highest place available. Not surprising really. She'd always had an affinity for this place; and it made sense that in her panic she'd flee like a wild animal to the one place she felt safest from people.

Now she had finally stopped running Max could feel her mind was foggy with panic. Like she had so many thoughts racing at breakneck speed around her head that she had overloaded her brain, and now all it was capable of producing was white noise. But as she felt herself begin to calm, so did the whirring in her head, and her thoughts gradually became clearer.

Max could still feel her heart racing, and as she looked out over the city she realised that she was shaking uncontrollably. She held her hand out in front of herself and watched as it shook like a leaf in the wind. She quickly folded her arms across her chest, tucking both hands under her arms to stop the trembling.

As Max gazed back out over the lights of the city she tried to concentrate on them; she was hoping they would distract her from all thoughts of her embarrassing little meltdown. She fully intended on burying her head in the sand for as long as possible.

Max suddenly realised that she had a lot in common with the broken city before her. They'd both had things done to them, acts of violence committed against them, events that had irrevocably changed them forever. They were both fighting to put themselves back together, and both finding that they never would be whole again because the pieces no longer fit together anymore. What they were left with was a shell – a soulless, empty, damaged husk.

As Max looked out over the dark landscape she knew it had once been lit with glittering lights, but now all that remained was a dark shadow of what it had been. Max realised that the dark depressing empty skyline was what she felt like inside. Only Max knew that unlike the city, _she'd _never been whole to start with.

Max cursed herself. How could she have been so stupid? She should know better by now than to trust implicitly - especially men. They were always out to bag her as a science experiment, or as a fine piece of ass - and Max hated being either.

Why did they always want to control her? For the first time Max seriously thought Original Cindy might have had it right all along. Life would be so much similar as a lesbian.

Max plonked herself down on the very edge of the space needle and hugged her knees to her chest. She felt herself start to calm down as the adrenalin left her body; but her mind was still whirring. How could he have done that to her? Of all the people Max knew, Alec would have been the last person she ever expected to undermine and publicly humiliate her. And to want the top job in T.C.? Max knew he could do it; in fact she suspected Alec might even do a better job than her half the time. But she had never suspected he harboured a lust for power.

Max gave a loud sigh of frustration. She didn't understand any of this. If that really had been Alec's intention all along he'd had the perfect opportunity to depose her at the very beginning, but he hadn't. Why?

The only plausible reason Max could find was because he liked this game of cat and mouse they were playing. But that just didn't seem like Alec. He was one of the most straight forward and honest people she knew. Or thought she knew.

He had never struck her as much of a game player. Sure, he liked to talk in riddles and innuendos sometimes, but that had always been in jest. And it had always been their thing; and she'd kind of liked that about them. It had also been one of the biggest issues he'd had with Logan – he'd always claimed to hate how Logan manipulated her for his own ends. Max really couldn't see Alec turning around only to commit the same misdeed himself after all this time.

Or maybe he was just reverting to his tom-catting ways? Trying to bed her before stripping her of her power. One more way to dominate her? But that didn't sit right with Max either; because he hadn't really made that much of an effort to seduce her. Not really.

She'd seen Alec in action, and he hadn't even unleashed a fraction of his seductive powers on her – the man could power the developed world with the amount of sexual energy he gave off.

Sure, they'd swapped saliva a few times, but with Alec getting more action than a showroom mattress in the past, she figured if he was seriously looking to swap body fluids other than saliva, he would have made more of a effort. Max had a feeling that when Alec decided he wanted something he went after it until it was his.

And that hurt. Because he hadn't even bothered to come after her...

Max was just so confused. She didn't know if what had passed between them was the real thing, or if Alec had just been messing with her. It had felt real though. To her, it had felt real. When he'd looked into her eyes after he'd kissed her senseless, she had seen real emotion. Like it was her, and her alone, that he wanted to be kissing.

Max thought back on her outburst with regret. She knew she'd overreacted, but at the time she was helpless to stop. Once her break-wall had sprung a leak it had come tumbling down, and she was powerless to stem the tide. All her issues - issues she didn't even know she had - had come spewing forth. She knew she should have clapped a hand over her mouth… but at the same time she hadn't wanted to. For once she felt like relinquishing control. She wanted to just give in and say all the things she'd never said; so for once, and against her better judgement, she had.

But now sitting up here by herself, Max realised it had been the wrong thing to do. She should never have unloaded like that on Alec, because none of those issues had been his. He had nothing to do with them except that the possible future she thought he'd been offering had brought out her neuroses. Because for once in her life Max Guevera was scared. She had been trying to bury the fear, but clearly it was sick of being buried, and it was coming out to play whether she wanted it to or not.

SWAT teams, government agencies, monsters in the basement – all those things she could handle. Yes, they frightened her, but she could deal with those. There was no choice _but_ to deal. Those things came at her relentlessly whether she was ready or not, so all she could really do was suck it up and survive as best she could. But this…this was far different. This thing with Alec was something that was totally up to her. This was something she either had to choose to throw herself into or not - and either way it could break her heart.

She knew she felt something for him, she just wasn't sure what it was. It could be the beginnings of the real thing, or it could be a manifestation of loneliness. How did you know if you'd never felt it before?

Max knew she was drawn to Alec. If she had a problem or a worry he was always the first person she sought out. He always knew what to say or do to make it better. He really could solve her problems for her.

And there was no point anymore even trying to deny the physical attraction she felt for him. Over the last couple of weeks he had succeeded in turning her into one of his weak-kneed Alec-worshipping bimbo's. Something that in the past had terrified her, but now it was something she just accepted because it took too much energy to deny anymore.

And somehow Alec made her feel safe with him. He made her not feel alone. Like she wasn't having to carry this burden single-handedly; and without him she honestly wasn't sure what would have become of them all. But what she both liked and hated, was that she didn't have to work at maintaining her façade in front of him, because Alec always knew instinctively what was up with her. She could let more of herself out around him. Or she thought she could. She really had no idea who _she_ really was, or what was real and what was fake - one of _her_ 'faces'. But at least whoever she was when she was with him was more relaxed, less highly strung; and that couldn't be a bad thing right?

But all that – they were all just feelings. And Max had learnt in the past that feelings weren't to be trusted. They weren't infallible. In fact they were her biggest liability. In the past they had gotten her into more trouble than anything. No, the smart thing would be to listen to her head, and her head was telling her that she couldn't trust her feelings, or Alec's. She might trust him with her life, but she wasn't sure she could entrust him with her heart.

She couldn't imagine him hurting her on purpose, but she wasn't sure she was willing to risk it. After all, they were both broken and damaged, and she _could_ see them reeking destruction on each other unintentionally.

And it wasn't just her own heart that she feared for – it was Alec's. While she was terrified of having her heart broken, the fear of breaking his heart was mind numbing. After all she was Max Guevera, and she had a habit of breaking men's hearts. For some reason they all thought they were in love with her, and she didn't understand it. There was nothing special about her. She wasn't even a nice person. Sure she tried, but really, she knew what she was. She was a scared little girl who pushed people away, often in a brash hostile manner, in order to protect herself. Because those she got close to always met a nasty end. And she couldn't live with anymore guilt, not in this lifetime.

She'd also been witness to Alec's pain and anguish over the whole Berrisford deal, and she wasn't about to be the one who put that haunted look in his eye again. She also wasn't sure she could compete with a dead girl either. Especially dead a girl who was beautiful, angelic and pure of heart and soul. She knew what it was like to live with the guilt of having killed someone you loved, but to have killed the one you were in love with? She couldn't imagine that. But she could imagine how Alec would feel guilty everyday he was with her because he had moved on with another woman. And Max was determined to never be the other woman. She hadn't been prepared to do it for Darren, and she wasn't prepared to do it for a dead girl either.

Alec hesitated half way up the space needle and leant against the cold steel wall. He knew she was up there. He'd seen her from the ground; sitting up there like the moon, all cold, and distant and untouchable. He'd known this was where she would be, he'd know as soon as he'd decided to find her. But that hadn't stopped him from going to Cindy's first. He'd told himself that that's where he thought she'd be, but he knew that was a lie - a lie to buy some time for him to work out what he was going to say to fix this. But it hadn't helped. He was still lost. Lost like one of those lab rats, forced to go around and around in circles because it couldn't find its way out of the maze.

Max felt Alec's presence before he'd even stepped out onto the ledge, and a flurry of emotions coursed through her. Panic, fear, unease, relief, warmth, longing, and something she wasn't willing to name. They were all mixed in together, swirling around, bumping into each other. It reminded her of time-lapse photography of a busy intersection. All those singular lights zooming around, bumping into each other, blurring so you couldn't pick a single one out, all muddled and confused.

Max didn't have to look at him. She knew what Alec was doing. She could feel his uncertainty. He was hovering behind her, shifting from foot-to-foot, clearly trying to decide what he should be doing now that he'd found her; and she realised that she thought it was kinda cute.

Alec didn't hesitate long before he walked slowly over to Max and gracefully folded himself to sit beside her. He could feel himself become both more anxious and more relaxed. He could feel his relief at finding her, at being able to see for himself that she was in fact safe; and he knew his separation anxiety _had _only intensified with his extended close contact with her the last couple of weeks. But his panic also intensified at having her suddenly here in front of him; because he knew that this was now his big moment, and for the life of him his head was scarily empty.

Max had always razzed him about never shutting up, that he always had something to bang on about; and Alec had to pretty much agree with her on that one. His head was always full of something to say. But not this time. He was all outta words; like opening a book and finding the pages blank.

As Alec sat silently beside Max he noticed that she hadn't even blinked since his arrival, and he took that as a bad omen. He could feel the tension within himself build as he struggled for something to say. Maybe he should have stuck around at Cindy's longer and asked for a few pearls of wisdom from the African Queen. Heaven knew he could use a lifeline right about now. And for once Alec wasn't sure he could talk his way outta this one…

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person in the world you want up here sitting next to you right now," Alec began softly, looking out over the city. "But I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry Max. I never meant to try and control you that way."

Max remained silent as she let is words wash over her.

"Yes you did." Max found with surprise that her voice was calm and even.

Alec's eyes flew up to Max's, but she wasn't looking at him, she was still staring out over the city, unmoving. "No, I swear I never meant - -"

"Cut the crap Alec," Max said more harshly, finally sparing him a glance. "We both know you were fully aware of what you were doing at the time. What I don't get is, what were you trying to achieve?"

"Are you serious?" Alec scoffed disbelievingly.

Max felt her hackles rise at Alec's derisive tone. "You know what Alec? You can just take that half assed apology of yours and take a flying fucking leap off this ledge!"

"That's not what I meant Max," Alec said earnestly.

"Well you certainly seem to be saying a hell of a lot of things you haven't _meant_. I suggest you go get something done about that little problem," Max snarled. "While you're at it you might wanna seek help for those controlling tendencies of yours."

Max suddenly decided that she _hadn't_ wanted Alec to find her after all, and jumped to her feet, intending on making a hasty exit.

Alec leapt to his feet and reached a hand out to her. "I swear Max, I was never trying to control you."

Max snatched her arm back and rounded on him. "And Hitler wasn't aiming for world domination!"

"I was trying to help you."

"And he thought he was protecting the Aryan race!"

"I was only doing what I thought was best for you," Alec said desperately.

"Don't you _dare_!" Max yelled, feeling her anger return with a vengeance. "Don't you dare try and put all this back on me! You did all this yourself, and if your little manipulations haven't turned out how you envisioned that is not my fault."

"Okay, I admit it!" Alec yelled back in frustration at her. "I admit that I was trying to manipulate you. I admit that I was trying to influence your actions. But do you want to know why?"

"No! I don't care," Max snapped, as she turned and ran for the exit. She couldn't be here anymore. She couldn't listen to anymore of his excuses. She now knew that she had placed too much faith in Alec. He had admitted it. He had admitted that he had manipulated her and then proceeded to inadvertently blame it on her.

Alec raced after her and caught her just as she was about to disappear down the stairs. His fingers wrapping firmly around her arms as he pushed her up against the nearest wall.

"Let me go!" Max hissed dangerously.

"Ask me why," Alec replied calmly.

"No!"

Max struggled desperately against the cold steel pressing into her back, but she knew by now that she was no match for Alec's strength. He had her pinned like that day in her office, only this time they were face to face. His thigh had slipped between hers and he was leaning his body into hers heavily, pinning her with it, while his hands held her arms immobile at her sides. There was no choice but for her to stare into his eyes, his face only centimetres from hers, his harsh breath fanning her face.

"Ask me why," Alec insisted more desperately.

"Get off me!" Max snapped, still struggling against his hold.

"Just hear me out and I promise I'll let you go," Alec pleaded seriously.

Max could see no alternative. She couldn't free herself, and Alec obviously wasn't going to release her with out giving his little speech. There was nothing left for her to do but stand there and let him have his say.

As he stared into her eyes Alec could see the raw hurt in them, and he cursed himself again for not seeing what his little game would do to her. If he had known her as well as he thought he had he should have seen this. He had been so focussed on her that he hadn't seen. He had been so wholly absorbed in every moment that he spent in her company that he had been blinded. He had been so focused on the outcome he was trying to achieve that he hadn't given any thought to the consequences of how they got there. If only he had stopped and really thought about things. But he hadn't seen the forest for the trees, or the storm for the clouds.

"I know that you probably won't believe me now," Alec said sadly, "but I honestly only wanted to help. I saw you day, after day, after day, killing yourself for the rest of us. You sacrificed your own happiness, your own health for the good of T.C., and I couldn't stand by and watch it anymore. It was killing me inside to have to watch as everyday you lost more of your spark, more of that fire that makes you uniquely Max. I watched as every passing day made you more drawn, more hollow, more empty. You were turning into the lifeless automaton Manticore was always striving for, and I couldn't let that happen. I knew you couldn't see it, even though I tried to make you see it, and I knew that was the last thing you would ever want to become. I _knew_ that about you Max," Alec said desperately. "I tried to show you, but you couldn't see. You didn't want to see. So I figured I'd just have to make you change and then maybe you _would_ see."

Alec sighed heavily. "I can see now though that I should never have done it this way. Obviously this was a very bad idea. And I'm truly sorry Max. I swear I never meant to hurt you, I was only doing what I thought was right."

Max had been watching Alec as he spoke, her gaze fixed intently on his eyes and the emotions swirling within, and she could plainly see his remorse.

"Why?" she asked in a small voice.

"Huh?"

"Why would you go to so much trouble? You spent weeks never leaving my side."

Alec chuckled harshly, the sound devoid of all humour. "Do you realise what seeing you like that on the bathroom floor did to me Max? Do you understand how terrified it made me? I literally felt like I couldn't breath." His eyes bore into hers, and Max could see remnants of the fright still in them. "Now I know this might sound selfish, but I _never_ wanted to have to feel like that again. And the only way I knew how to prevent that was to make sure that you remained healthy and alive. So I decided that if you weren't prepared to look after yourself, then I would have to do it for you. That's why I came up with '_The Rules'_. They were supposed to keep you healthy and alive. I just never thought they'd cause such pain," Alec said sadly as he looked away, no longer able to meet her eye.

"But I was such a bitch to you. Why would you go to so much trouble for someone like that?" Max whispered.

"Maybe I wasn't just doing it for you Max. Maybe I was doing it for me too," Alec admitted quietly.

"I don't understand."

"I don't know about you Max, but I've never really felt a real connection to anyone before. I've never really cared about someone. And I'm not just talking about caring if they're alive or dead, I'm talking about caring if they're happy, if they know that they're special, and that there is always someone there for them. I just felt like I wanted to try and do that for someone. I wanted to know what if felt like to be that to someone. I wanted to know _if_ I was even capable of any of that."

Alec stole a glance at Max and saw that her mouth was slightly open, in shock.

"I know it sounds stupid, but I - -"

"It's not stupid, Alec," Max interrupted softly.

A small smile spread across Max's lips momentarily before she hid it. "Why me?

"Huh?"

"Why did you choose to conduct this little experiment on me, of all people."

Alec hesitated for a minute. "Because you're the person I've always felt closest to Max. Ever since I got out of Manticore it's always felt like us against the world. Just the two of us. You've always been there for me even when I didn't deserve it," Alec shrugged a little self-consciously.

Max chuckled softly.

Alec's lips quirked at her amusement. "What's so funny?"

"Just that we are both so screwed up I no longer know which of us is more messed up, you or me?"

"That is a tough one," Alec smiled back at her, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "I think when Manticore paired us up they got it more right than any of us ever thought possible."

Max's smile suddenly turned tight, and she broke their eye contact to stare at the ground.

Alec's fingers drifted down to settle under her chin, lifting gently, until she was looking at him again. "Are we okay?" he asked uncertainly. "Do you think you can forgive me?"

Max couldn't help the squeeze her heart gave as she saw Alec's vulnerability. She could tell this frightened him. Her answer had the power to cause him pain and he was letting her see that; she knew what that must be costing him, and she couldn't help but think he was brave for it.

As she stared intently into Alec's eyes Max knew without a doubt that he'd never intended to cause her pain. And in a disturbing discovery Max realised that even if he had, she wasn't sure she had the strength to cut Alec out of her life anyway. Alec had become such an integral part of her life, of her being, that she no longer thought she could cope without him. Not with all the responsibilities that now lay solely on her narrow shoulders.

"Sure Alec, no harm done," Max finally replied.

Alec's eyes narrowed as he scrutinised her. That statement was not something he would ever have expected to come out of Max's mouth. And the tone in which she had said it made it sound like she couldn't be bothered to argue, or had no choice but to forgive him. There was still something not right about all this. There was still something not right about Max.

How could she say that there had been no harm done? Alec had been there, had seen her anguish and heard everything she'd said, and he _knew_ there had been plenty of damage done. Maybe not all of it inflicted by him personally, but it had been him that had brought it all to the surface. Maybe she really would be better off without him. He seemed to be causing her pain every time he turned around. Maybe Max couldn't see it, but he certainly could.

Alec had promised himself that he would consider removing himself from her life the night he'd found out it could be him triggering her violent dreams. But he never had. He had buried that thought, pushed it to the back of his mind, because he really didn't want to have to even think about that possibility. But maybe it was finally time. Maybe he should take that final step and put someone else's welfare before his own.

"Come on Max, we both know that's not true," Alec said softly.

"Seriously Alec, you had no idea. It wasn't your fault. Can we please just forget it," Max replied tiredly. She'd had just about as much of this emotional rollercoaster ride as she could handle for one day; but she had a feeling Alec wasn't about to let this one go just yet.

Alec shook his head in disagreement. "I was there Max. I heard what you said. I didn't realise it at the time, but I was causing you harm. I have been for a long time I think."

"Alec - -"

"I never wanted to cause you pain, but that's what I do isn't it? On a daily basis I make you remember the past just by having this face. This face brings back your demons. I wouldn't be surprised if it triggers those nightmares of yours either. In fact, I would put money on that," Alec said seriously, his handsome face pinched in anguish.

Max had a horrible feeling she knew exactly where this conversation was headed, and she needed to stop it right here. "Alec - -"

"No Max, I think it would be better for you if I wasn't around anymore. I can't bear to cause you any more pain. Just look at everything I've done to you since I met you. I betrayed you to Manticore, let you infect Logan, tried to kill you, made you lose the cure, and screwed up every time you turned around. All I've done is made your life harder Max, and I can't do it any more. I think it would be better if I left - -"

"Alec, don't b - -" Max tried desperately to interrupt, but Alec wouldn't let her.

"No Max, for once I'm going to do the right thing here. And the right thing would be to lea- -"

Max had had enough of being ignored. She quickly leant up on her tippy-toes and kissed Alec. Hard. One brisk closed mouth kiss, its sole intention to shut him up.

She pulled away just as quickly as she had attacked him, leaving them both staring at each other a little breathlessly.

Alec stared into Max's eyes and saw an emotion there that quickened his pulse.

"This doesn't change anything Max," he said softly, running his fingers down her jaw, making her shiver. "You'll be better off without me around. Healthier."

As Max listened to Alec she heard the hitch in his voice as he forced those words out, and she realised that this was as difficult for him to say as it was for her to hear.

She could feel her heart rate accelerate in panic to the point where she was having trouble hearing anything else, even her own thoughts. Faced with this choice – the choice of losing Alec – Max realised that nothing else mattered. All their other problems, hang-up's, emotional baggage, none of that mattered, not when she was faced with this desolate prospect. All that mattered was that he stayed with her; everything else could be worked out, as long as he didn't leave her like everyone else in her life had.

"Look, we both know that I'm stubborn, and bitchy, and emotionally damaged," Max said, giving a small desperate smile as she held his gaze. "But haven't I been doing much better the last few weeks? Haven't I been much healthier? Much happier?"

"Yes, but - -"

Max placed her fingers over his lips to silence him. "And that is all because of you Alec. I've been eating and sleeping and _delegating_ because of you. If you leave what am I going to do? Whose going to make me do all those things if you don't?"

"You don't need me Max… you never have. You don't even like me most of the time," Alec said softly, shaking his head.

Max opened her mouth to argue, but suddenly she could see how this might appear as the truth from his perspective.

"Sometimes the person you really need is the one you didn't think you wanted," Max said, letting honesty bleed into her words as she looked him straight in the eye. "I see that now. I can see that I need _you_ Alec. I want _you_ in my life."

Alec's eyebrows shot up to his hairline in surprise. That had been the last thing he had ever expected Max to admit. It was true that he had always desperately hoped that she _would_ say it, but he never thought it was something that would ever be a reality.

"What are you saying Max?" he asked hesitantly.

"I --" Max looked down at her shoes before steeling herself to look up and meet his eye. "I don't think I can survive without you Alec. I don't know who _I_ am, who Max is... all I know is that I'm more her when I'm around you, and if you disappear…"

"But Max, I give you nightmares. I make you wake up screaming in the middle of the night because I make you kill you brother over and over again in your dreams," Alec said desperately, trying to make her see.

Max smiled at him as she reached out her hand and cupped his cheek. "It's true that I have that dream often. But the only time I ever wake up screaming is when Ben turns into you, and I kill _you_."

Alec's heart skipped a beat as he realised the effect the thought of him dying had on her. That she could be so concerned for his safety.

But regardless of that he realised it didn't change the facts. He still caused her nightmares.

"See, that just proves my point," Alec said sadly.

"No it doesn't… because the only person who can stop the screaming is you. You're the only one that can prove to me that you're still alive and safe. The night you stayed with me is the longest I've ever been able to sleep without a nightmare. You prevent them," Max smiled softly at him.

"How do you know that? How can you be sure that I'm not causing them," Alec demanded.

"I just do," Max said simply.

Alec looked at her warily; like he wasn't sure he could believe what she was telling him was the truth.

Max realised that he was going to make her say it. If she wanted him to stay she was going to have to convince him. "Alec I need you to stay. I won't survive if you don't. I want…I …"

"What? What do you want Max?" Alec asked softly, brushing the backs of his fingers over her cheek as his eyes caressed her face.

Max took a deep breath. "I want there to be an us."

Alec sucked in a deep breath and stared into her eyes warily. "Are you serious," he asked doubtfully, "Or are you just saying that to get me to stay?"

"Both," Max said, a genuine smile taking over her face unlike anything Alec had ever seen.

"I…I didn't think that you would ever…I never thought that this was ever…I mean, I've wanted to hear you say that for…for… I don't know…ages...but then...you have no idea what seeing you like that did to me... and how I wanted…but couldn't…because - -"

Max watched as Alec babbled incoherently, and it made her smile before she again leant up to assault his lips with her own. She felt him still in shock before her persistent lips coaxed his into mimicking their movements, and then he was kissing her back.

Max felt Alec step even closer to her, engulfing her as he released her arms and slipped his own around her, gathering her to him more tightly. But Max wasn't about to let him dominate this kiss like he had the others. She had started this one, and by golly she was going finish it this time!

She pressed herself to him as tightly as was transgenically possible, wrapping an arm around his neck to drag him down to her, while the other snaked around his waist, pulling him flush against her.

She bit his bottom lip, making Alec gasp at the slight pain, before she used his distraction to slip her tongue into his mouth. She kissed him hungrily, stroking her tongue over his, and as his tongue danced with hers she made sure hers dominated. She needed Alec to realise how much she needed him, how much she wanted him in her life; and seeing as though he refused to listen to her words, she was just going to have to _show_ him.

Max could feel her heart pounding in her ears and feel her blood zinging around her veins, giving her that delicious light-headed feeling. She was also aware of Alec's hands snaking their way under her shirt to tease the skin of her back and sides, sending shudders around her body.

Max reluctantly broke the kiss and watched as Alec's eyes fluttered open, revealing dark stormy-green eyes.

Alec stared at Max for a moment, blinking in dazed confusion before opening his mouth. "What was that for?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Looked like you had a bad case of verbal diarrhoea. Thought I'd help you out." Max replied coolly.

"By putting you tongue down my throat?" Alec gave her his trademark smirk, the one that always had the ability to make Max's heart skip a beat whenever he assaulted her with it.

Max grinned back at him. "It worked didn't it?"

"I suppose, but I doubt it's the method recommended by experts," Alec teased, repeating her words from so long ago.

"It's still in the development stages, but I've only ever had… pleasurable… results with it," Max teased seductively.

Alec continued to smile back at her as he lifted a hand and began to softly stroke her cheek with his thumb, his expression falling to become more serious.

"Do you realise how long I've wanted to hear you say those things," Alec said as he gazed at her reverently, a genuine look of awe upon his face as he threaded his fingers through her hair.

"So, I'm I bit slow," Max shrugged.

"Yeah, but I still never thought you'd look at me that way. I never thought you'd _see_," Alec said, still running his fingers over her face like he couldn't stop touching her.

"What can I say, I had a bad childhood," Max grinned.

Alec chuckled darkly, a predatory look appearing in his eyes that made Max's stomach drop in anticipation. "I wouldn't worry about that little girl," he grinned down wolfishly at her, devouring her with his eyes. "I have ways of making you forget _all _about your childhood."

Max couldn't help but laugh at his antics as Alec swooped down to make good on that promise; and she couldn't help but to think that she wouldn't mind if she never remembered anything ever again.

**THE END.**

* * *

**Ta-dah! That's All Folks!**

_Thankyou all so much for reading!_

_I know that this ending is not exactly what many of you had hoped for. Well, that's the impression I got from all the reviews that were demanding Max and Alec bump nasties! But as you should already know I like realism, and I really didn't think it was realistic to expect Max to jump into Alec's bed after I just spent 70,000 words explaining all her deep seated issues with men. However…_

_As a few of you might know I am considering writing an epilogue (I'm unwilling to call it a sequel because I really have no idea how long it might be). Because this story has been more popular than I ever imagined, and because so many of you seemed to be after a more 'all encompassing' conclusion (and because I'm curious as to whether I can actually write such a scene), I am going to attempt something with a higher rating. Whilst chatting to recicup the other week I had a good idea for an epilogue/sequel that I think will suit this story perfectly. Because this site doesn't allow M+ material I will have to find somewhere else to post it- if you have a preference for where I post it, please let me know. I will, however, post a note after this chapter when it is finished telling you where you can find it. It is gonna take me a while I think, so don't expect something next week!_

_I would love to hear your thoughts on the final chapter. It took me ages to write and lots of staring at the computer screen in frustration. Plus I would love the opportunity to say thanks in person._

_Until later, thankyou and ciao! _


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